SOAR - New England Chapter

PO Box 889
Brookline, MA 02446-0007
(401)353-7969
infonewengland@soar-us.org

The New England chapter, our 3rd chapter, became part of the SOAR family in February 2009 and encompasses Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine. Two of SOAR-New England's board members have adopted children from Armenia, giving the chapter significant insight into the orphanages and the needs of the orphans in Armenia. We are excited to bring them into the fold, particularly because the chapter includes significant Armenian populations in Boston and Providence. If you have any questions about how you can assist our efforts in New England, please contact the chapter Officers by telephone or email.

Board of Directors:

Michael Hagopian, Esq.
President
mhagopian@soar-us.org

Michael Hagopian is a graduate of Syracuse University (B.A. Economics) and the University of Bridgeport School of Law (JD). He is admitted to practice law before all State and Federal Courts of the State of Rhode Island and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as the United States First Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. During his career, Michael was afforded opportunities to practice law as a law firm associate, as a member of the staff of various government agencies, as general counsel for closely held businesses and as manager of his own law office. Currently Michael is a litigation attorney for a law firm in Boston, Massachusetts. He also frequently lectures on the law to attorneys, accountants and mental health professionals. Michael and his wife Andrea adopted their daughter from Armenia in 2008. They reside outside of Providence, Rhode Island.

Laura Michael
Vice-President

Laura Michael received a dual Master's degree from New York University in Teaching English as a Second Language and Foreign Language Education and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rhode Island in Spanish. She was born and raised in Rhode Island and now resides in Watertown, MA. Laura is employed as an ESL teacher with the Newton Public Schools in Newton, MA and has previously worked with the New York City Department of Education and the Rocky Point Schools on Long Island. She is passionate about working with children and also maintaining a connection to her Armenian heritage. Laura has had the opportunity to travel to Armenia and visit an orphanage, which was a life-changing experience. As an Armenian and an educator, she is committed to supporting orphanages in Armenia so that the youth have every resource possible to develop and grow into successful leaders.


Michelle Papazian, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.
Secretary

Michelle earned a Masters Degree in Social Work from Boston University and is a graduate of the Social Work in Health Care Program at Massachusetts General Hospital 's Institute of Health Professions. Michelle is a clinical social worker, program manager and researcher. She has remained passionate about serving children and families in need and has spent much of her career at Boston Children's Hospital in the Department of Social Work and Psychiatry, providing program management, clinical supervision, and counseling to children, adolescents and families facing complex health issues and psychosocial challenges. Currently Michelle is the Social Work Manager at Partners Hospice where she launched a grant funded Pediatric Palliative Care program for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Additionally, Michelle provides clinical supervision to social work staff and oversees the graduate training program for social work and expressive therapy interns.

Michelle has a special interest in human-animal relationships and has been a member of the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (H.A.R.C.), an interdisciplinary team of researchers examining the problem of animal hoarding in order to increase public awareness and develop effective means of intervention.

Michelle adopted her daughter Mia from Armenia in 2004. After a soulful journey to Armenia, Michelle returned with a deep desire to help children without families in Armenia. SOAR offers this important opportunity. Michelle lives with her daughter Mia and shaggy pooch Lulabelle, in Boston Massachusetts.

Marina Arakelian, LICSW
Treasurer

Marina Arakelian, LICSW is a graduate of Columbia University, School of Social Work and a graduate of the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy in New York where she received a certificate to practice Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. Her clinical experience includes working in acute, inpatient psychiatric settings at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and the New York Cornell Payne Whitney Psychiatric Center to the Brigham and Women's Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. She has been in private practice since 1996.

Areas of special interest include the psychological and developmental sequelae following childhood trauma/loss. Marina is a certified Grief Recovery therapist and took part in a collective effort made up of the New York City mental health community in working with survivors of the 911 World Trade Center Disaster.


Amy Croot

Amy graduated Cum Laude from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science and Engineering Degree. She has over 10 years of experience managing projects for various software companies and is currently employed as a Product Manager for Yahoo!. For almost 20 years Amy has volunteered for non-profits that serve children. She is a member of the Cambridge Rotary Club and recently served on their board. Amy moved to the Boston area 8 years ago and lives outside the city with her husband.



Svetlana Ho-Javakhyan

Svetlana was born in Yerevan, Armenia. She has lived and studied classical music in Poland, Austria and United States. Besides English, she speaks Armenian, Polish, Russian and proficient in German. To name a few of Svetlana's musical accomplishments, she performed at the Concert as a Viola Soloist for His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik and the Secretary General of the United Nation Kofi Annan, his wife Mrs. Nane Annan and the representatives of United Nation from around the world. She also recorded a CD "Komitas" (a tribute to an Armenian composer, Komitas) with her fellow musicians as a collaborating artist. Above all, she was a proud recipient of the prestigious Tavitian Foundation Award for six consecutive years.

After graduating from The Boston Conservatory with a Bachelor Degree and a Graduate Performance Degree in Viola Performance, Svetlana has decided to pursue a career in real estate. Svetlana has been in the Real Estate business since 2006. She was featured in Boston Global as one of the up and coming real estate agents. In her spare time, Svetlana and her husband enjoy traveling, visiting wineries and sampling cuisines from all over the world. They also enjoy hiking with their 3 years old Golden Retriever and their 1 year old Collie.

John Khatcherian

John was born and raised in New Jersey and moved to Boston in 2001. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts - Lowell, with a dual concentration in Marketing and Management. He has always had a passion for working with children in the Armenian community, from his time as a teaching aide at the St. Vartanantz Sunday School (Ridgefield, NJ), to coaching the ACSA Juniors basketball team. He is also an alumnus of the Siamanto Academy, St. Gregory of Datev summer program and the Fund for ArmenianRelief (FAR) Kidak Society. As a first-time visitor to Armenia with the FAR Young Professionals, John came back home with a renewed energy to help those less fortunate, especially the children he came across in orphanages throughout the country.


Linda Murphy

Linda Hagopian Murphy is a middle school math teacher in northern Rhode Island. She has a degree in elementary education from Rhode Island College and a masters degree in special education from Providence College. Linda is a life-long resident of Rhode Island. She and her husband Paul reside in Cumberland, Rhode Island. They both enjoy spending time with their niece, who was born in Armenia. They are awaiting the opportunity to adopt a child from Armenia.








Richard Simonian, Esq.

Richard M. Simonian has an A.B. from Harvard College, a J.D. from Columbia Law School, and a Certificate in French Studies from the University of Paris. He resides in Watertown, MA, and has practiced corporate, commercial and real estate law in Boston and Worcester, MA for more than 35 years. During the past 10 years he has made multiple trips to the orphanages of Armenia. He is involved with SOAR because he recognizes that the orphans of Armenia are among the most vulnerable individuals in Armenia today.



Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is a former Armenian refugee from Baku, Azerbaijan. Anna and her family spent three years in Armenia as refugees before coming to United States in 1992. They were settled near Fargo, North Dakota. Anna has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English & Literature and Philosophy & Religion from the University of North Dakota. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maine School of Law.

After law school Anna clerked at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Anna currently works in Risk Management and Compliance for Bangor Savings Bank. Anna works primarily on Bank Secrecy Act programs implemented by the Bank which monitor for suspicious activity such as money laundering, terrorism funding and structuring. Anna always strives to reach out to the needs of the people of Armenia. Aside from helping her relatives in Armenia, Anna and her family volunteer their time and funds for various projects. In 2007 Anna and her husband John, also an attorney, worked diligently on retrieving vital medical equipment purchased by the Armenian Institute of Cardiology that was purposely never delivered to the hospital and was stored in United States. This equipment is now in the possession of the hospital helping patients heal their complicated heart problems.

Anna is committed to helping orphans and strongly believes SOAR's efforts are important for the success and endurance of the nation of Armenia. Anna lives in Portland, ME with her husband John and their son Armen. They are expecting a daughter in September of 2009.