From the Heights of Hadrut to Yerevan

This is a story about Nikolay Chakmazyan, a young enthusiast  from Artsakh. Kolya (as his relatives and friends used to call him), was born in Mets Tagher village of Hadrut region, Artsakh. In the same village, Kolya attended secondary school. Being diligent and persistent, he worked in the vineyards after school, trying to do his best to be “the helping hand” for his family. 

The wooden sword that Kolya fabricated at the age of seven alongside his father, is one of the most clear remembrances enshrined in his memory. As Kolya recalls, one day, while playing with that sword with his childhood friend, Kolya damaged the sword, got extremely upset, to such an extent that it even made him cry his eyes out. 

Kolya likes reading books. His favorite work is “Forty Days of Musaler,” recommended by his geography teacher.  

Starting from early years, he was fond of sports as well. At the age of 14, he was involved in athletics and volleyball teams. As Kolya remembers, their volleyball team won first place in one of the competitions. 

After graduating from secondary school, in January, 2020, he was drafted into military service in the Artsakh Defense Army. Kolya served in the Jrakan military unit of the Hadrut region. Kolya participated in the military operations of the 44-day Artsakh war, as a detective. 

During the war, he was situated in Jabrayil, Hadrut, as well as Martuni. As a result of the war, Kolya lost many of his close friends. After the war, he served six more months in  Khojaly, and, later, in the Tsor military unit. He returned from the army as a sergeant, serving the position of deputy commander. 

After the war, Kolya’s family had to move from Hadrut to Yerevan. In February 2022, after learning about “Aren Mehrabyan” Charitable Foundation and what it stands for, Kolya applied for and participated in four-month Web Programming courses conducted by the Foundation, during which he learnt the Java Script programming language. After completing the courses successfully, he received a graduation certificate. Wishing to further-develop his knowledge in programming, Kolya continued his education at the four-month Backend Programming language courses organized by the Foundation.

The “Training of Trainers” model was applied at “Aren Mehrabyan” Foundation, that is, the graduates educated at the Foundation were given the opportunity to become instructors themselves. An evaluation committee composed of leading specialists in the field of programming was formed, which, after examining and evaluating the candidates’ knowledge, nominated Kolya Chakmazyan to teach Web Programming at “Aren Mehrabyan” Foundation. From January 2023, Kolya started teaching Web Programming in one of the Java Script language groups.

Everything that already happened in this young enthusiast’s life, made him even more of a dreamer. Currently, Kolya dreams of building a house, the same house that was in their village that they were forced to leave; he imagines it will consist of the same garden that was left behind, in Hadrut…

Kolya is a nature-lover. Moreover, he is extremely interested in the historical and cultural monuments of Artsakh. The Tigranakert fortress, the Daizapait monastery of Hadrut region, where you can reach by hiking, two hours away from their village, and the Toghasar church (which is positioned in such a way that it creates an impression that the Church is situated on the hand of the viewer) are especially preserved in most of his memories. 

Along with teaching, Kolya continues to gain new knowledge in the field of programming, aiming to further-improve his skills and become a master in the sphere.