A Newsletter for the Builders, the Fighters, the Unreasonable One

Friends,

When I started Teach For Armenia, I had no big-name backers, no safety net, no roadmap. Just an idea—and the conviction that every child in Armenia and Artsakh deserved a real shot at success. No one handed us credibility. We earned it. 

Brick by brick, battle by battle.

We were scrutinized more than most. I wasn’t a legacy name. I didn’t have deep pockets. That meant we had to work twice as hard just to prove we deserved a seat at the table. It was exhausting. But it made us better. It forced us to be sharper, to cut through the noise, to build something undeniable.

Fast forward: Teach For Armenia now reaches 30,000+ kids. More than 10% of Armenia’s students. From a single teacher leadership program to a full-scale movement—school turnaround initiatives, a Master’s program, an education startup accelerator, public policy labs. 

Real impact. Systemic change. And we’re just getting started.

Being doubted wasn’t a setback. It was fuel. If you’re building something—anything—you’ll face the same. People will dismiss you, ignore you, maybe even root against you. Good. Let that sharpen you. Make your work so damn good they can’t argue with it.

That’s what MindMeld is about—cutting through the fluff and sharing hard-earned lessons on building, leading, and driving change. No theory. Just what works. And I want to hear from you, too. What are you building? Where are you struggling? What have you learned?

Drop your thoughts. Reply, challenge, contribute. We’re building something here.

Onward,
Larisa Hovannisian
Founder and CEO, Teach For Armenia