Three Sisters, Two Passions
2015-02-26
News
The Khachatryan sisters meet at the Tumo cafeteria for lunch almost every day. Shamiram Khachatryan (on the left in the picture) is a drawing workshop leader at Tumo and her sister Lilit (on the right) is an engeneer at Mentor Graphics, a semiconductor design software company located on the fifth floor of the Tumo building. Their younger sister Hasmik is also often in the building – she is a Tumo student. Although the three sisters have different interests, their academic paths are very similar. Shamiram is a graduate of the Yerevan Polytechnic's Cybernetics Department, where she studied chip design, Lilit is now in her final year in the same department, and Hasmik is getting ready to apply there soon.
Shamiram attributes her move towards drawing to subjects like quantum physics. "Semiconductor physics is one of the most complex classes at the Polytechnic, and to stay attentive during class, I used to sit at the first row and sketch. At the end of the semester, I had filled several notebooks and revived drawing skills I learned in art school years ago. So I started working as a visual artist after hours and to create comic books."
Shamiram leading a drawing workshop
The fact that she didn't realize her passion for art when she was younger became one of the drivers behind Shamiram's passion for teaching drawing to teenagers. "I also love to teach because it allows me to teach kids the kinds of drawing skills that I picked up much later in life. That will allow them to choose their path in life with more confidence. Recently, I was participating in a comics festival where I noticed one of my former students participating as well. That made me so happy, even proud," she admits, blushing slightly.
For Lilit, the opportunity to work and study in the same building with her sisters is very pleasant. "Now that we live in different homes, seeing Shamiram here is really great for us. We also help each other out professionally. Right now, for example, we're working together on Shamiram's mobile app and portfolio." 16 year old Hasmik loves math and physics but has other interests as well. At Tumo, her preferred area is photography. She feels that pursuing a science career doesn't mean abandoning her passion for art, and she's comfortable straddling the art and technology worlds of her older sisters.