Quick Talks #3: Interview with Nena Beglaryan

Meet Nena Beglaryan, our wonderful Writing Consultant at the Math & Writing Center! 

Nena is a junior student majoring in English & Communications and she wants to complete her Master’s degree either in teaching or teaching writing. Nena has two dogs, and she adores them. It was Alexandre Dumas, the prominent French writer, who forced Nena to fall in love with reading books. 

Read on to find out what Nena is most afraid of and who she would want to meet from the past if she had the chance to. 

 

– Hello, Nena! Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself. 

– I started learning English at AUA when I was thirteen. That’s when I fell in love with the University, its atmosphere. Later decided to apply to AUA and soon became a student in the English & Communication program. It didn’t take me long to realize that I want to do teaching as a professional career and maybe one day become a professor. Since then I have been into English; I teach English as a second language, check essays, and help people improve their skills. So when the announcement from the Math and Writing Center came, I said to myself: “I’m gonna do this!”

As for my hobbies, I like creative stuff, especially painting (miniature painting, in particular). Working with colours is really relaxing. I love hanging out with my friends. I like socializing with people but I don’t really like opening up to those who are new to me. I love when people open up to me. I love walking; I usually walk to the university. I have two dogs and I adore them. I love travelling, especially to Europe. Spain is my favourite destination. I am good at math, but I don’t like it! 

– Do you think painting and writing are somehow similar?

– Both of them are art forms. They both let you express your emotions and thoughts. Painting is more abstract (people can interpret it in many different ways), whereas writing is a lot more precise.

– Is there a book that had a big impact on you and why?

– I think it was “The Count of Monte Cristo”; I read it a long time ago but I remember I couldn’t stop reading it. I don’t really remember what it was about, but I remember I just couldn’t stop reading it. That was the big start of me enjoying books. 

– So, thanks to Alexandre Dumas, you had this important moment of starting to love books. 

– Yes! I have this bad habit of starting reading books, and then getting bored and shifting to another one… But I love when a book gets me into reading so much that I just can’t put it aside. 

– Is there an artist that you admire and who had an impact on you?

– I would say — Picasso. His early paintings are more or less concrete, but his later paintings are so abstract and you can come up with so many different interpretations… I love discussing his paintings with my friends. 

– What are you most afraid of? 

– Snakes… That is what comes to my mind first. 

I’m also afraid of losing my loved ones and especially friends, but I know that life happens, and someday I have to lose contact with certain people. It’s depressing to think about this, but I realize that at some point this may also happen to me…

– If you could meet someone in the past, who would it be?

– If it’s someone popular, I would meet Leslie Nielsen, the comedy actor who looks like a nice grandpa. His movies are so, so funny. Just for positive energy, I would love to meet him. But if it’s more personal, I would meet my aunt, because she passed away when I was a kid, and everyone says that I look like her. If I saw her, I would simply ask her to tell me about herself to see if people are right and if I do resemble her. 

– Do you enjoy writing or do you feel you need to overcome certain challenges every time you write?

– The starting process is a real challenge for me. Coming up with the main idea is just the most difficult part for me, but the moment I start, it gets easier. For me, structuring and revising essays is fun.  

– How do you fight the writer’s block?

– I just sit in silence for some fifteen minutes and concentrate as much as I can. Sometimes I ask my friends: “What would you write?” and then we start brainstorming together; they give a lot of interesting ideas. Another technique is taking a walk, because when you walk you have nothing else to do but to think. Listening to music helps, too. I don’t know how, but it does! 

– Why do you write? And do you write outside of the classroom?

– Sadly, I don’t. I think I would if I had the time. I love writing fiction. I’m taking a Creative Writing course, and we have to write different plots and come up with different characters, and I enjoy this process so much. Certain types of writing appeal to me greatly, like writing feature articles, when you have to interview people and get their ideas — that’s a lot of fun. I also love analytical writing when you have to do a lot of critical thinking. 

– Some people use writing as a tool to heal wounds. Do you think writing can heal? 

– Definitely! When I’m assigned to write something personal — about a personal experience, for example — these reflective pieces help me to understand myself a lot better. I think even if you are antisocial and you don’t like talking to people, writing helps you to be content with your emotions and understand yourself a lot better. When you have everything piled up, you can just write it down, and let it all out into the world. Yes, it’s definitely a healing tool.    

– Why did you choose to become a Writing Consultant? 

– I love helping people overcome their problems; I always help my friends with their essays, and doing that for a living is just quite fun! 

– What were your impressions of your first consultation session as a student at the Math & Writing Center?

– I don’t like criticism towards my essay. If someone reads my essay and says: “This is bad”, I really don’t like it, so I was very hesitant to come to the Math & Writing Center, but because I had to attend sessions to complete my Freshman Seminar requirement, I said to myself “Ok, I’ll do it”. I had a session with Sona Khachatryan, and after the first session I didn’t feel judged; I felt that someone told me what was good about my essay and what I could do to improve it further. The session was so effective that I came for another one afterwards. Today, as a Writing Consultant myself, I try to be as non-judgemental as I can. I try to help students come up with ideas and learn certain techniques to improve their writing skills. 

– What would you advise someone who hates writing?

– I think I would just tell them that writing is a basic means of communication; it’s not about just writing an essay, it’s about letting people know what you think. I would emphasize that writing doesn’t stop at college or university. Most of the time you have to write reports and business letters at your workplace. So writing is about communicating what you want to communicate with a certain audience. It’s a way to show yourself, so that people can perceive you the way you want them to perceive you. 

– I know you have dogs. Is there anything we can learn from these beautiful creatures?

– Pure devotion and pure love. They have no reason to love us — except for the fact that we feed them — the way that they are filled with love and devotion towards human beings is just admirable. It’s just behind our eyes, and it’s heartbreaking when you see a stray dog and especially when people who are mean to them, punch them… How can they be so mean to stray dogs? So I think we can learn love and devotion from dogs. 

– Could you please describe yourself in three words?

– Open-minded. Ambitious. Loving. 

– If you meet a student who is confused and stressed what would you tell him or her?

– I would tell them that I have been there; that I didn’t want to go to the Math & Writing Center either, but now I work there! 

I would ask, “What’s your essay? Is it compare/contrast? Oh, I did that one before!” Maybe I would also ask: “What is your course? Freshman Seminar? Oh, I took that course with that professor, I know what your professor wants!” I would also tell the student that the environment at the Center is relaxed and friendly, so you never feel stressed. We are here to help. Simple as that!

 

Prepared by Anna Aghlamazyan, Coordinator of the Math &Writing Center

October 21, 2021

If you need help in writing, follow this link to book an appointment with Nena! She will help you to brainstorm for ideas, come up with an effective structure for your essays, revise for clarity, and, eventually, improve your writing skills.