Passing over his torch on Tuesday, Davit Avagyan stepped down after completing his term as ASGCC president.
“It’s hard to just leave when you have done this for a year,” he said. “It’s a bittersweet moment.”
Avagyan, who was born in Armenia and moved to Glendale about seven years ago, described his work as president as being both fulfilling and enjoyable but also very time-consuming.
A big challenge was balancing his school work with his job, which meant making sacrifices in his social life. However, he said the best part about being president was seeing his work pay off as he watched the changes he implemented become a reality.
He feels that his biggest accomplishment as ASGCC president and as a student representative to the Board or Trustees was passing a new board policy amendment which allows a student member to make and second motions, participate in discussion of issues, receive all materials presented to members of the board and attend closed sessions involving student expulsions.
The new policy has been in effect since April and is the first of its kind on campus.
Avagyan has also been working on a project for students to get more seating areas outside of the student center; however that will not take place until next year.
He headed this year’s beautification project, where volunteers cleaned and painted two classrooms and fixed some of the ramps on campus.
Kevork Kurdoghlian, representative at large of campus organizations, said Avagyan’s greatest accomplishment was his role as a student trustee. Because he built a strong and trusting relationship with the board, students now have a louder voice in the affairs of the student body.
“I see Davit continuing to serve his community,” said Kurdoghlian.
Ani Gemalmuzyan, senator of finance, said a positive change that Avagyan spearheaded this year was to make a more comfortable environment for the executive senate members, leading to a more productive term.
“Something I value about him is that he is a man of his word,” said Gemalmuzyan. “ He is responsible for everything he says and does.”
Like a true leader, Gemalmuzyan describes him as being very respectful of others. His maturity and attitude made him perfect for the job.
Avagyan is also currently part of the Glendale City Pedestrian Safety Task Force. He said he is looking for ways to make it safer for pedestrians around the city.
He plans to attend UC Davis if he is accepted but has also applied to UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount, and UC Riverside. Avagyan will continue to major in political science and hopes to make a difference wherever he goes. He said he looks forward to being part of a political office in the near future.
“Davit has a very strong work ethic,” said Kurdoghlian. “He’s very effective at delegating and executing the job at hand.”
