In seventh grade, Arsen Saakyan became enthralled with the lessons taught in his science classes. As an 18-year-old who graduates from Bothell High Tuesday, he’s set for a higher stage of learning as a pre-med student at the University of Washington in the fall.
“My family says it’s a steady job, there’s always a demand for doctors,” said the Armenian-born Saakyan, whose family moved to the United States when he was 2. “A surgeon, I’m just liking how it looks and I just like what they do. It’s important because it (puts) me in a position when I can give back to people and help them out. My skills and abilities, things I can do, I think I can use those to better help the community.”
As he prepared to join his advanced-placement (AP) biology study group in the school library last Wednesday, Saakyan was pleased with what he’s achieved and confident in where he’s going after Bothell High.
Saakyan exits Bothell with a 3.99 grade-point average with multiple AP courses under his belt. He also tackled an introduction to law class at nearby Cascadia Community College as part of the Running Start program. It was an 8 a.m. Tuesday/Thursday class, so Saakyan had to play the challenging, time-management game between Bothell and Cascadia. It was worth it, he said.
“Sometimes, I just try to get through it, take it step by step and just focus on what’s at hand,” he added.
Bothell High instructors played a major role in preparing Saakyan for UW. He noted that a high point was during a junior-year chemistry class, when he grasped onto some pretty tough lessons and that continued his motivation to snag top grades each day.
His parents, Arina and Arno, are also hard-working individuals who inspire their son to do well.
“They tell me school’s really important and they want me to be the best I can be — and reach my full potential,” Arsen said. “And now I’m going to UW, starting a new chapter in my life.
“It’s very exciting,” he continued. “In 10th grade, I was sitting in my health class, and I was just thinking about in a couple of years, I’ll be graduating. Just waiting for that day to come, and now it’s finally here — it just flew by.”
