(June 8, 2012) — “I had been looking forward to coming to Clark long before finishing middle school, and after four years, I can say that it has lived up to my expectations,” said Artsroun Darbinian. Darbinian excitedly came to Clark with a new mindset after graduating from Chamlian Armenian School. “I expected it to be a fun and educational experience, and I was right,” Darbinian said. Coming from a small private school, Darbinian didn’t have any trouble adapting to his life at Clark. He didn’t see much of a difference except for the type of people. “Coming from an Armenian school, I was exposed to a crowd that was, well, still mostly Armenian, but definitely not as educated on Armenian studies,” Darbinian added. While attending Chamlian, Darbinian’s extensive education in Armenian studies taught him about Armenian history, literature, grammar and religion. Like Darbinian, Shunt Manoel came to Clark from a small private school, Mekhitarist Fathers’ Armenian School. Manoel found the transition a bit more difficult than Darbinian because his graduating class consisted of eight other students. “At first we were like a family, so when I came to this big school I had to get used to the environment,” Manoel said. Michael Armaneous wasn’t as excited to attend Clark because out of all his friends from Toll, he was the only one attending Clark. “I was scared because of the new people, but excited for a new adventure with new classes and a whole new level of competition,” Armaneous said. As incoming freshmen, students had to leave behind their middle schools and begin the next four years of their life in a new environment with many unfamiliar faces. Before getting used to the school, the students had to feel a sense of belonging to Clark because it would be their second home for the next four years. “I felt like an outsider just because I’m the shy type, at first,” Armaneous said about his experience during his first few weeks as a freshman. While it was hard for him to meet new people because he didn’t speak Armenian, Armaneous jokingly added that he eventually learned Armenian throughout the next four years. Armaneous’ high school experience got better and his junior and senior years were extremely fun. According to Manoel, Clark wasn’t as big as he thought it would be, but it was still a different environment. Manoel had few expectations of Clark as an incoming freshman, but when he eventually got used to the environment, it was a completely different life. High school is a time when students experiment with new ideas and learn through their achievements and mistakes. “Going in, I thought I’d join robotics right away but I ended up not liking the subject so much,” Darbinian said. “I certainly didn’t think I would show up to school with a tie every day by senior year, but I’m not complaining,” Darbinian added. The new experiences allowed the students to grow as individuals and learn new information about themselves. Darbinian summed up his high school experience in one sentence: “I came in as a boy, and I think it’s safe to say that I’m leaving as a man.”