ABOUT ARMEN

My name is Armen Papyan and I am running for Tukwila City Council Position 1. I am a long-time community member of Tukwila. I started my leadership and public service at Foster High School when I was first elected to serve as the President of the Associated Student Body.

 

Since then, I have continued my engagement in the community by volunteering for the Tukwila Public Safety Bond, the Tukwila School Levy, Action Tukwila, and with the Tukwila Children's Foundation.

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One of my biggest accomplishments was serving a student body of 5,400 students at the University of Washington Tacoma as President of Associated Student Body. My proudest moments was spearheading homelessness advocacy with two of my colleagues (Adan Espino Jr. and Daniel Eatherly) which resulted into a partnership between the Tacoma Housing Authority, a private developer (Koz) and ASUWT, creating 52 new apartment units and laying the groundwork for additional 70 units for people experiencing homelessness. This program has shown significant improvements in student life and beyond.

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I have organized large scale lobbying events to increase financial aid for students living in Washington state. This has led to an increase of $18.5 million funding to the State Need Grant (SNG) providing income-eligible students with need-based financial aid. As college education becomes a part of basic education it is critical that we have trained and experienced workforce for 21st century high paying jobs.

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I have similar intentions of bringing my tireless work and vision to the Tukwila City Council and address issues that concern the constituents such as public safety, homelessness, housing, and the city's long term financial health.