CLASS OF 2021

Featuring Nazeli Khodaverdyan

Remarkable! Resilient! Revolutionary!

My name is Nazeli Khodaverdyan. I am 18 years old and I attend Burbank High School.


Which artistic medium(s) do you most like to use to express yourself?
Well, I really enjoy drawing, painting, and creating sculptures out of clay and various materials. During my first 3 years of high school, I was in the animation class. This year, I’ve been enrolled in a sculpture class taught by my same animation teacher, Ms. Jonelle Pickett.


What art experience in the schools are you most proud of and how did it impact you?
During my sophomore year, I participated in the Hollywood-Burbank Airport Banner Contest and won first place, winning $3,000 for my animation class and the Burbank Unified School District. Here’s my work! 👉

In 2019, it hung for three months on the tower of the first terminal of the Burbank Airport. The Airport’s Committee invited my mother, my teacher, and I to share my achievement on television. It was truly the best to see my vision enlarged and on an iconic Burbank landmark. The City Hall also did this the following week. And I was asked to do an interview with Spectrum too!

Teen's Ambition Soars After Winning Airport's Art Contest


What are some of the experiences in science or math classes that inspired your life direction?
I was interested in pursuing a career in the medical field as early as elementary school. This is mainly because I was diagnosed with a periodic disease at the age of 2, and growing up, I knew that I wanted to help others also dealing with FMF (Familial Mediterranean Fever). It's a genetic illness, and anytime I began feeling sick, I calmed down by telling myself that I'll one day be able to cure myself and other people like me. That's why I want to focus on the abdominal region. In fifth grade I told my parents that I wanted to become a surgeon. When I got to Muir Middle School, we did experiments dissecting frogs and sheep eyes, and I very much enjoyed discovering how other living things are similar to humans on the inside and outside. Before that, I’d been interested in becoming a surgeon, but those experiments really sealed the deal for me.


How do you see your interests in the arts and sciences intersecting?
Art showed me that I enjoy creating, but science always interested me more than anything else. Especially after taking a sculpture class at my high school, I began to understand that working with my hands is something that I feel passionate about and I know that will be useful in pursuing a career as a surgeon. Art will always be a passion of mine, but after delving into science, I have come to understand that it suits my interests more.


What is the most important thing you’ve learned during the pivotal, history-making pandemic?
I have learned to become more comfortable in my own skin and understand that everything in life happens for a reason. The pandemic helped me become closer with my family again and appreciate the things that I have and the goals that I want to pursue. This period of time definitely made me a better person and was a time of healing and self-growth. Though it has been a struggle getting through it and having to go online for school, my mental health and life have undeniably become better.


What advice do you have for younger students?
Do as much as you can in high school to attain as much experience and make as many memories as you can. High school is truly a once in a lifetime experience and you should not be wasting it worrying about what others think about you or if you’re not doing as well as you want. If you make school fun, you’ll experience the best years of your teenage life.


Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Do you expect the arts and/or sciences to continue to play a role in your life and if so, how?
In 10 years, I hope to be a surgical intern at UCLA’s hospital or somewhere local. Additionally, I’d love to be married to my current boyfriend whom I love so dearly, hopefully in the process of moving to a bigger home together. After I’ve become a surgeon, I’m hoping to purchase a home for my parents and aid the process of purchasing one for my sister and her family. The arts have always been a part of my life and I do not see myself going away from it. I have been planning to create a small business incorporating something with art where I can make some profit towards college and helping my parents. If everything goes accordingly, it could become big!

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