2020 Success Stories: Taline Mkrtschjan
The first time Taline Mkrtschjan stepped foot inside of a classroom at the Community
College of Rhode Island, one of her fellow classmates mistook her for the teacher.
Returning to school at the age of 51 was, in retrospect, an unorthodox educational journey for the Lebanon native and Cranston resident, but giving up on her dream was never an option, not after what it took her to get this far.
Mkrtschjan officially graduates CCRI this spring with an associate degree in General Studies, completing a terrific final semester in which the Last Mile Scholar finished with a 4.0 GPA and earned additional recognition as a 2020 Phi Theta Kappa New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar.
A member of the Joint Admissions Agreement program, Mkrtschjan earned the $2,250 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants nationwide based on her academic achievement, leadership, and service to her college and community.
She will continue her education in the fall at Rhode Island College, where she will study Computer Science in hopes of one day returning to higher education as a program writer or website designer.
“I’m so happy I explored the option of attending CCRI,” said Mkrtschjan, now 53 and a mother of three. “I had the greatest experience.
“This was all a dream for me. It gives my children a sense of perseverance that, no matter what – no matter what tragedies I went through in life – it’s never too late to chase your dreams. I am a first-generation college student, and I want to demonstrate to my children and my community the value of education at any stage in life.
“It is bittersweet, but very gratifying to overcome the odds.”
Mkrtschjan’s journey began in war-torn Lebanon as the descendent of grandparents who survived the Armenian Genocide, which killed more than. 1.5 million Armenians between 1914 and 1923. Her father was orphaned at a young age, but did his best to provide for the family.
The oldest of four children, Mkrtschjan did well in school, but her family did not have the financial means to continue her education beyond high school. Having spent most of her childhood living through the Lebanese Civil War, which claimed the lives of an estimated 120,000 civilians over a 15-year span, Mkrtschjan endured incalculable losses.
“Losing friends during the brutal civil war instilled in me the power of perseverance and the strength of overcoming adversities from an early age,” she said. “My childhood experiences motivate me to perpetually cherish life every day.”
While vacationing in Greece, she met her soon-to-be husband, an American citizen. The two married following what Mkrtschjan fondly recalls as a “short courtship,” and moved back to the United States together in 1993.
Mkrtschjan, 26 at the time, still dreamt of attending college, but her and her husband soon began building a family of their own. Fluent in four languages – Armenian, Arabic, French, and English – she worked as medical and legal interpreter, taking a few classes here and there to better understand the terminology in both fields.
With no immediate family nearby and her husband making enough money to support the household, Mkrtschjan put college on the backburner to raise her children, providing with the stability she lacked growing up.
Having spent nearly two decades working part-time as an interpreter, Mkrtschjan struggled to find full-time work without a college degree, so she decided to resume her education after her youngest child graduated high school.
“Everyone laughed at me,” she said. “My kids asked me, ‘Are you going to sit in a classroom with 18-year-olds?’ Why not? If that’s what it takes, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Mkrtschjan officially enrolled at CCRI in 2018, influenced heavily by the college’s affordability and flexibility. She still remembers of the morning of her first class and the mixed emotions of excitement and nervousness.
“I was hyperventilating,” she said, “thinking to myself, ‘What did I get myself into?’ I had just turned 50. Was I crazy? At first, it was very intimidating, but after the first week I just overcame one challenge after another.”
Though she excelled in school as a child, Mkrtschjan never envisioned the success she enjoyed at CCRI. English was her fourth language growing up in Lebanon, but through hard work and commitment – and a boost from her professors, whom she says were "crucial in my success" – she reached new heights with a 4.0 in her final semester. Mkrtschjan will now pursue a career in computer science, a remarkable achievement for someone who admits she didn’t even own a computer in high school.
“I love math and I love numbers,” she said. “It’s the perfect marriage for me.”
While her short-term goal is earning her bachelor’s degree, Mkrtschjan hasn’t ruled out continuing her education beyond the next two years. Timing is everything, she says, especially at her age, though each step she takes is a major milestone considering her parents never had the chance to continue their own education.
In addition to her studies, Mkrtschjan is an active member of the St. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church in Providence, the Armenian Relief Society, and the Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society of Providence. She has also served as an Armenian language teacher at the Mourad Saturday Armenian School in Providence.
“I’m very grateful for my time at CCRI,” she said. “This was the best decision of my life. Hopefully, one day, I can give back.”