Meet Nayiri Khatchadourian, Author of The Price of Success: Understanding the Cost of Getting a College Degree in Porter Ranch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nayiri Khatchadourian.

Nayiri, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
One of my favorite sayings are, if you learn but you don’t teach, you haven’t really done much. I have been passionate about educating and giving back since I was a teen. I volunteered at local organizations and organized a book drive at my high school, collecting over a thousand books to donate to orphanages locally and abroad. Also at a young age, I had always loved writing: I published many poems in books during high school and published my own poetry e-book when I was in 10th grade. My passion for learning and helping took me to UCLA, where I studied Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and participated in the wet-lab research. I always knew I wanted to pursue medicine, so I joined local mission groups and took my travels to Peru and Armenia, where I participated in medical missions and summer camps.

My third year in college I applied broadly to medical schools, ended up on the waitlist and after months of waiting did not get accepted. I was devastated at first, but because of that rejection I got to accomplish three incredible experiences: I am now in my last term of my Master in Public Health program, I became an author and I gained experience at a local nonprofit doing anti-human trafficking work. I also talk about health and fitness on my Instagram page, cleanedmy_plate.

If there’s one thing I’d like to tell people, it’s this: you can plan, you can organize and you can imagine what you’d like to happen at what age, but you cannot control everything, and that is the beauty of life. Do your best and let life happen, because you can either enjoy it and make the best of it, or you can be miserable and wallow over your losses. Everything happens for a reason, whether you know that reason or not.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My experiences have definitely not been a smooth road, but I am by no means complaining because they have brought me to where I am now. When I began UCLA, I was already ambitious and hard-working, so when people told me to do well, focus on studies and plan for the future, I was ready. Unfortunately, college is more about just your grades, and it’s something I, like most students, was not prepared for. I struggled with having a healthy relationship with food since high school and that carried on and worsened in college. I was so goal oriented and so stressed; I would spend entire days in my apartment studying for exams, letting days pass before I went out to see the sunlight. I did well in school and was very active in extracurriculars but my personal foundation was weakening as the thought of the unknown future was looming in my mind. I was not taught any coping mechanisms; no one told me to take breaks, to go on walks, to go to the gym, to spend time with friends and to spend time for myself in the midst of being an honor student at a challenging university. No, it has not been a smooth road, but it is the road that inspired me to write this book and prepare high school students and equip them with the skills needed to build that strong foundation, confidence, self-esteem and body image. Although no one told me, I am here to tell them: You are more than just a student.

Please tell us about Author: The Price of Success: Understanding the Cost of Getting a College Degree.
The Price of Success: Understanding The Cost of Getting a College Degree really serves as a transitional tool for high school students going to college, talking about the importance of focusing on your mental, emotional and physical health. There is a huge gap not only in books that address this topic but about this conversation in general. This book is near and dear to my heart because I have experienced each chapter and because it has allowed me to teach others. If I make an impact on only one student’s life, then I consider myself successful. It’s exciting because I get to talk about mental health, self-image, perception and other topics to students and youth groups and get the conversation going. By influencing students in creating a positive self-care habit during college, it will persist into adulthood and help with their future goals. Success comes with a price, but that price should not be your mental, emotional or physical health. After all, you cannot pour from an empty cup.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
The beauty of putting your 110% into everything you do is there is no room for regret. I know that if something does not turn out the way I planned, it’s because it is just not meant for me at the moment, and not because I did not work hard enough. That being said, if I had to start over, I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything I have done, every success and failure I have endured, every opportunity I said, yes and no to have brought me to being an author and getting a Masters degree. I haven’t accomplished all that I have planned by the dates that I thought, but that’s life and I’m rolling with its highs and lows.

Pricing:

• $13.99 Paperback – The Price of Success: Understanding the Cost of Getting a College Degree Paperback – Available on Amazon
• $3.99 Kindle- Available on Amazon

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thepriceofsuccessbook.com
• Phone: 818-522-1224
• Email: nayirikh27@g.ucla.edu
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleanedmy_plate/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepriceofsuccessbook/?ref=bookmarks
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1532043058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518128461&sr=8-1&keywords=9781532043055

Image Credit:
Josie Cubas, Milo Tan

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