Olivia Ani Mouradian, 13, of Milford Township, Mich., is a third-generation Armenian, the daughter of Vahan and Kathy Mouradian, and is destined for success based on her already impressive resume. It makes you wonder what you were doing at her age.
Olivia’s academic accomplishments are numerous, but so are her desirable personality traits of thoughtfulness, self-confidence, vivaciousness, and love of family tempered with modesty.
Mouradian is a self-motivated eighth grader who is an over-achiever, a Girl Scout member, and an all-“A” student who tutors fellow students. She is a school band member, cheerleader, and admitted fashionista.
These are innate attributes, possibly fueled by being surrounded by highly successful relatives.
Mom Kathy is an elementary school teacher, and father Vahan is an electrical and mechanical engineer. They acknowledge their daughter keeps them very busy, saying, “She is a great kid and always does the best she can in so many things, whether academic, acting, theater, cooking, or thrill seeking. Her variety of interests is ever expanding. She is thoughtful of others, energetic, and self motivated. She’s got nerves of steel, even tackling a ride on a 100 mph roller coaster.”
“She has parasailed and even though she fell off a small dirt bike at age 10, she was not deterred,” they tell me. “She is close to her younger brother Evan with whom she takes time to nurture a relationship.”
Olivia says she got her name because mother fell in love with “Grease” film star Olivia Newton John.
She has twice been a camper at Camp Haiastan and overcame her home sickness at an early age when she discovered other girls felt the same emotion, too. “I had a blast at camp,” she says, forging permanent friendships with the Chicago girls. They all met up at the AYF Junior Olympics in Detroit this past summer and attended the evening dance together. Another of Olivia’s loves is Armenian dancing.
Grandmother Rose Mouradian has been in interior design. Grandfather George is a quality reliability engineer and noted author. Her Aunt Anita (Mouradian) Granger is a structural engineer/architect, along with architect Uncle Terry Granger. Olivia’s Great Aunt Alice Mouradian was a secretary to the top echelon at the Tank Automotive Command. She can count among her cousins a West Point graduate and an electronic software engineer. Her maternal grandfather is a mechanical engineer at General Motors Tech Center.
As a member of the Muir Middle School band, she plays the trombone. She has not decided what college she wants to attend, but has always wanted to study at an Ivy League school. It would be no surprise if the offers are numerous to capture her as an enrollee.
Her grandparents acknowledge Olivia’s talent, saying, “She is very social and has a cheerful personality. She is an amazing, terrific young lady.”
Olivia is even mastering the art of friendly persuasion. It was through her gentle persistence that she led her Girl Scout troop to do an Armenian-themed display for a community-wide exhibit along with 200 other girls in the Milford area. She pushed for Armenia and her troop agreed with a display of Armenian food, the tricolor flag, and the Armenian cross. Bravo, Olivia!
A future actress? She has twice attended Blue Lake Fine Arts camp in Muskegon, where she learned about acting, theater, and musicals. She had a part in a play and was presented with an Outstanding Award for Acting, which included a monetary prize. “I loved it. I met so many talented people there,” she says.
Her acting experience continues to grow at her school, where she was narrator for “Wizard of Oz” and Wendy in “Peter Pan.”
Olivia has earned her parents’ confidence and they have given her more responsibility and freedom, which she likes. Life as a new teen doesn’t seem much different to her. She is aware of the diverse atmosphere at her school, “much like the rest of the world,” as she says, and is selective of who she befriends. She loves shopping at Twelve Oaks Mall with her brother and her friends.
The siblings now have a docile new companion, a friendly nine-month-old pit bull terrier named “Letterman,” adopted from a shelter.
She bakes cupcakes and sometimes shares cooking time with Grandmother Rose, making “bishi,” also known as angel wings.
What teen today knows about fashion icon Coco Chanel? Olivia does and calls Coco her inspiration. Her interest in fashion has led her to ready many books about the French fashion designer from decades ago. She has a collection of Eiffel Tower statues.
She is also into gymnastics and karate, and is a cheerleader. Her bedroom is floral pink replete with candles, photos of friends, along with awards of all her achievements. She also has inspirational sayings posted and confesses she loves to sleep in.
On July 3-5, 2014, Olivia competed against 160 girls in the National American Miss contest at the Hyatt Hotel. The competition was for the girls to express “their views on life.” It was for the participants to express their potential in gaining poise, self-confidence, and valuable communication skills.
Olivia was presented with two runner-up awards for best resume and for best actress, two trophies for each category. Although it was not a beauty contest, the lovely young lady could have walked away with that category as well.
Mouradian is surrounded by a loving family intent on providing opportunity and wise direction through her growing years. May she continue on her path of bringing pride to them and become a tribute to humanity.
May Olivia Ani soar to higher heights in whatever she decides to become. We wish her well and look forward to updates on her learning years.
Youth like Olivia Ani leave you with the feeling that the world’s future is bright, after all.
Betty Apigian-Kessel
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Abrees Ani and parents
How wonderful
after reading about your achievements I was so inspired that I had my seven year old
Doughter Taline read it too she is a lot like you , she was excited to read all about you.
Bravo and keep going
May God bless you and your family
Aline
i love olivia