The Prime Minister's Spouse, Chairman of My Step Foundation Board of Trustees Anna Hakobyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Arayik Harutyunyan, Executive Director of My Step Foundation Hovhannes Ghazaryan, Director of Yerevan Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran Vahan Ter-Ghevondyan, Fellows of the Foundation had also attended the ceremony.

Executive Director of My Step Foundation Hovhannes Ghazaryan in his congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony said: “Today is a truly festive day for us, a holiday for both the foundation and scholarship holders and why not for our state as we celebrate Human Capital Development Day. The human resource is the most important resource in our country for long-term and sustainable development, and the Foundation, as a mission, is committed to promoting this resource. Congratulations, dear scholars! You are investing in both your personal development and the development of the country."

The director of the foundation presented some details about the scholarship program, noting that as of 2018 the Foundation has doubled the number of scholarships. Hovhannes Ghazaryan noted that it is an absolute and interesting coincidence between the genders of the recipients, which were even: 27 females and 27 males were awarded scholarships. The geography of universities covers 8 countries: Great Britain - 25 scholarships, USA - 20, Italy - 3, Canada - 2, Switzerland, Singapore, France, Australia - one scholarship. Twenty-three of the 54 fellows will study for a bachelor's degree, 30 for a master's degree, and one for a postgraduate degree.

The scholarship recipients were congratulated by the RA Prime Minister's spouse, Anna Hakobyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of My Step, speaking about the importance of education. “It is possible to not eat, to endure hunger for some time, but it is imperative to invest in education. I do not say this by accident, I say from my family's experience. When I was a student and studying at Yerevan State University, we were living in very difficult times. My parents chose to deprive us of various things and to spend that money on my education. It certainly gives results."

Speaking about raising funds for the Foundation's scholarship program, Anna Hakobyan continued: "Armenia is a small family, and what we are doing today, is like my own experience, my family history. To say that we get that money easily is not true. There were conversations with the notion that if the prime minister's wife is the chairman of the foundation's board of trustees, all problems will easily be solved, that's not the case. In a family, if a child is admitted to college, parents apply to different acquaintances, borrow money and in this case, it is similar. We ask, we persuade, say that this is the right investment, and we are trying to raise money.” She stressed that the state is looking forward to the return of students studying in all fields in the hope that they will use their knowledge for the development of the Republic of Armenia.

RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Arayik Harutyunyan also welcomed the students, noting that students have the opportunity to open a new page in their lives, where they will gain new knowledge and skills that they will use throughout their lives. “It is good that there are such foundations that support, first of all, our youth and, secondly, the government, because at this stage of reform we generally need professionals who will have the skills to be creative, analyze, have new knowledge and succeed in the field of innovation. This is important for the Republic of Armenia. The government, for its part, is making some efforts, but our partners are also helping along this path.” Harutyunyan said. According to the Minister, the possibility of further expansion of the program will be discussed in the future.

At the end of the event Executive Director of "My Step" Foundation Hovhannes Ghazaryan and Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Arayik Harutyunyan presented the students with scholarship certificates.

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The mission of the My Step Foundation's Scholarship Program is to contribute to the empowerment of human capital stemming from Armenia's sustainable development priorities. The Foundation grants scholarships to young people in the top 20 educational institutions of the world who wish to acquire professions stemming from Armenia's sustainable development priorities and to apply their knowledge and skills to the advancement of Armenia.

For the 2019-2020 academic year, the Foundation has received 90 applications from young people from various universities around the world. At the moment 54 applications have been approved, taking into account the pre-announced criteria as well as the priorities.

In selecting scholarship holders, the Foundation has taken into account:

• Academic program,
• Profession,
• University,
• The project plan presented,
• Motivational letter,
• Recommendations,
• Commitment to return to Armenia after graduation,
• The results of the interview with the electoral commission.

In the case of receiving a scholarship from My Step Foundation, the student undertakes to return to Armenia after completing his / her education and to live and work in Armenia for at least 3 years.

The list of My Step Scholarship grantees can be found here.