Veronika Zonabend
3 January 2017
Council Member - Chair of UWC Dilijan - Member of the International Development Committee (IDC)
Veronika Zonabend is the founding partner and the Chair of the Board of Governors of UWC Dilijan College in Armenia. She is actively involved in philanthropy, focusing primarily on the promotion of global education. Together with her husband, Ruben Vardanyan, she is the founder of the RVVZ Family Foundation and the IDeA Charitable Foundation which implement philanthropic sustainable development projects in Russia and Armenia. Ms. Zonabend sits on the Boards of Trustees at UWC International (UK) and the American University of Armenia and chairs the Board of Directors at Teach For Armenia Educational Foundation.
In 2014, the President of the Republic of Armenia awarded Veronika Zonabend the Order of Friendship in recognition of her many contributions to fostering educational development and international collaboration in science and education, as well as for her substantial efforts in building the international school in Dilijan and implementing academic programs.
“One of the essential components for success in the 21st century is the ability to interact with people from different social groups, nationalities and races. This is why the model and values of UWC are so dear to me. UWC's ideology is not only about providing children with an outstanding education, but also to teach them to understand and respect other cultures, without losing their own identity, as well as to communicate with others, to actually listen to them and be able to accept their position even if it’s different from yours. This is the key to a peaceful and sustainable future.”