Eleonore Aslanian and her husband Edward Aslanian, whom she honored the memory of by naming him one of the 100 Pillars of AUA. (Source: American University of Armenia)
(AUA)—Eleonore Aslanian, known as Elo in the Armenian Community of the Bay Area, was only three years old when her family moved from Paris, France to Tehran, Iran. Her father, Aram, a well-respected engineer, had received an invitation from the Shah of Iran to modernize the country’s dated infrastructure. Elo’s mother, Vartouhi, taught English and, thanks to her hard work and diligence, gained respect as an educator in the community. Unfortunately, soon after their relocation, the family was thrown into a tailspin due to the untimely death of Aram, at the age of 40. Vartouhi was now faced with the task of raising her children alone. Though heartbroken, Vartouhi persevered and made sure her children lacked for nothing, making education the utmost priority.
Fueled by the same hard working attitude and love for education as her mother, Elo began to make a name for herself in the community. At the age of thirteen, together with eight other older girls in the community, the young and vivacious Elo was instrumental in launching “Hye Geen, Armenian Womanâ€
