Politics Beckons Graduate

Born in Soviet Armenia 25 years ago, Armen Orujyan always believed he was destined for bigger things.

He read such weighty tomes as Alexander Dumas’ trilogy or “War and Peace” to prepare for political intrigue. He ran for student body president at Valley College and won. He interned at City Councilman Joel Wachs’ office and volunteered for Al Gore’s presidential campaign.

On Thursday, the Hollywood resident will graduate from Valley College with honors. He already has an acceptance letter from UCLA. All this, and only 10 years after arriving in the United States with little money and even less English.

And Orujyan, who became a U.S. citizen in 1996 and plans to attend law school after earning his bachelor’s degree, says he’s just getting started.

“I want to do Madeleine Albright’s job; I’ll be like Henry Kissinger with his accent,” he said, crackling with ambition. “Or be an ambassador. I’d like to be an ambassador.”

Comments such as that from most college students might draw an incredulous grin or a patronizing chuckle, but Orujyan’s friends and acquaintances do nothing of the sort.

“I can see him actually running for elective politics in the future,” said Gail Koretz, a Wachs deputy who supervises the interns. “He’s astute, charming and has really good people skills.”

Outgoing is the word most use to describe Orujyan, and he is. Articulate, clean-cut and with an accent that drags Ss into Zs, Orujyan cuts a dashing figure on campus.

In a 100-yard walk from his student government office at Valley College to a car, Orujyan constantly waved and greeted passing students, most of whom he knew by name.

The Gore campaign hopes to harness Orujyan’s charisma and put it to work for the presidential hopeful. Orujyan says he will target the young and Armenian American voters--a tall order considering the disdain both groups traditionally have for political elections.

“A lot of Armenians are not familiar with the American politics,” he said. “I think that’s crucial to our community.”

After so many years of one-party Soviet rule in Europe, many Armenian Americans continue to marginalize themselves from U.S. politics even after gaining citizenship, Orujyan said.

Orujyan was born in the industrial city of Yerevan, Armenia’s capital. His father had a job with the Soviet railroad system; his mother worked for a bakery. Orujyan’s family had immigrated to Armenia from Lebanon. But they dreamed of a better life away from Communism and when Orujyan was 5 his parents began talking about moving to America.

“We wanted to be able to use computers, we wanted our own cars, we wanted clothes, girls, you name it,” said Tigran Martinian, Orujyan’s friend of 18 years. Martinian’s family emigrated a year after Orujyan.

Even as a teenager, Martinian said, Orujyan seemed destined for glory.

Orujyan excelled in the elite Soviet school they attended in Yerevan, was a fierce competitor in judo tournaments and developed one of his best skills: making friends.

“He has the looks. He knows how to talk. He has the abilities,” Martinian said, adding that Orujyan speaks Russian and Armenian. “I think he’s going to make a difference. He’s going to be somebody pretty big.”

In 1990, Orujyan’s family came to the United States and made a new start.

“We got our airplane tickets the same day we had to fly out,” Orujyan said. “We didn’t take anything.”

The family of four had $400 to live on.

A decade later, Orujyan is looking forward to graduating from Valley College and starting classes at UCLA, where--of course--he plans to run for student government.

“I don’t really know what’s going on there yet, but every place can be improved.”