Originally published on 26 March 2015 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

His is an inspiring immigrant’s success story, which began inauspiciously halfway around the world. Today, he is an elected member of the Pasadena Unified Schools District’s Board of Directors.

Roy Boulghourjian fled Lebanon in October of 1982 to escape the ugly civil war. His early years in his adopted country were spent in the construction industry where he toiled for two years. He later moved on to a better job in the diamond wholesale business and worked as an appraiser, sorter and sales manager.

Profoundly grateful for the new life and opportunity that he had been given, Boulghourjian decided to give back to the community. Through his church in Glendale, he volunteered to teach ESL (English as Second Language) to immigrants on welfare. And this was when the teaching bug bit him.

Boulghourjian left a well-paying post in the jewelry business and proceeded to teach full time. He taught high school Math and Economics in both public and private sector. He then went on to serve as vice principal for two private high schools, in Pasadena and Canoga Park, where he stayed for several years. During this time, he also got involved in Pasadena politics and became a board member of the Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF). He currently sits on the Finance Audit Committee of PEF and the Measure TT Citizen’s Bond Oversight, and ACT Pasadena.

In 2011, Boulghourjian was invited to be Principal for a Day at Marshall Fundamental School and he saw first-hand the Pasadena high school experience. And he was pleasantly surprised at what he learned! He realized that all the gloom and doom he had been hearing about the Pasadena educational system was unfounded.

This singular experience led Boulghourjian to start visiting various high schools in Pasadena. Everywhere he went, he found teachers who were caring, knowledgeable and capable of educating young minds. He met students who were polite, diligent and ambitious. He started advocating for Pasadena public schools.

Image taken from Pasadena Now

Boulghourjian joined Mt. Sierra College in 2011 as Adjunct Professor of Math and Economics. In two years, he moved up to become Department Chair of the Business and General Education Department.

The eye-opening experience Boulghourjian had the day he served as principal remained in his mind and compelled him to run for a PUSD seat. During a panel discussion among the candidates held before elections, they were asked what the district’s challenges and opportunities were. He said Pasadena’s greatest asset is its wealth, its people, its organizations, and its business community. The challenge, he said, is to promote the idea that a community’s values are reflected in its public schools.

On his website, Boulghourjian lists the following priorities: Increase enrollment and retention rates; ensure the efficient implementation of the common core; and continue and expand the Dual Language Immersion program. 

On March 11, an overwhelming 68% of voters elected Boulghourjian to Pasadena’s District 2. Elated and eager to get started, he says he wants to immediately work on reversing the bad image that has hounded the school district for decades. One of his first courses of action is improving the curb appeal of the schools. He believes that parents would feel better about enrolling their children in public schools if these are clean and safe.  

Boulghourjian says Pasadena is ahead of all the other districts in terms of its investment in curriculum, textbooks and training but he would like to work at getting better parental involvement in their children’s education. He also wants the district not to rely solely on government funds to finance programs. To this end, he aims to build bridges between PUSD and the business community. 

There is much work ahead for this new member of the board. But Boulghourjian is up to the task; he will put all his energy and effort at rehabilitating PUSD’s image. And when he puts his mind to it, there is no stopping what he could achieve!