SOAR - Istanbul Chapter
Istanbul joined the SOAR family in July 2015. The goal of the Istanbul Chapter is to introduce SOAR especially among the local Armenians in Istanbul and spread SOAR’s cause by recruiting more volunteers. Istanbul is the heart of an active community life of Armenians in Turkey as the cultural and intellectual center thanks to the 17 Armenian schools where children can learn their mother language, various Armenian churches all over the city, cultural organizations such as remarkable choirs and folk dance groups as well as local media organs that publish in Armenian language. All these institutions surely enable Istanbul-Armenians to stay together and preserve their cultural identity in Turkey. Considering the active community life in Istanbul, our Chapter believes that SOAR Istanbul has a considerable potential to contribute to SOAR’s cause by engaging many volunteers and donors.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Monika Paksoy
President
Born in Istanbul, Monika Manişak-Paksoy graduated from Getronagan Armenian High School and earned her BA in American Culture and Literature and MA in Media and Cultural Studies from Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara. Her master’s thesis on Armenian immigrant domestic workers in Istanbul received the Best Thesis Award.
Monika is a commercial real estate and workplace operations executive, serving as Managing Director – Client & Commercial Affairs at One Tower Business Club in Ankara. She led the initiative that made the club the first coworking space in Türkiye to achieve the WELL Coworking Rating.
Working across Turkish, English, and Armenian, Monika maintains a strong interest in Armenian community life and cultural heritage. Through SOAR, she is committed to supporting the Armenian community and strengthening connections across generations.
Marko Zerunyan
Marko was born in Geneva and grew up in Istanbul. He started his LLB Law degree at King’s College London in September 2020 and hopes to be accepted into the dual degree program with Columbia University Law School.
Outside of school, Marko is a competitive swimmer. He has ranked in the top 10 of Turkey on multiple occasions. He actively undertook volunteer work in high school and is eager to be a part of SOAR.
Marko is fluent in English, Turkish, and German. He is also proficient in French and in the process of learning Western Armenian at the Armenian Institute, London.