Elections for Glendale City Council members take place in person on June 2nd, 2026, allowing residents of Glendale and La Crescenta to decide who will govern the city. Through political events and networking, many Clark students who are interested in politics have become involved by volunteering with candidates. Through knocking on doors and phone-banking to reach scores of Glendale residents, students have been able to integrate themselves further into their community and make a direct impact on the lives of Glendale community members.
Junior Nairi Arustamyan supports her community by volunteering for her candidate of choice, Elen Asatryan, an incumbent city council member and former mayor of Glendale. Nairi, a member of Clark’s mock trial team, has been volunteering for Asatryan so that she can learn about Glendale politics directly from the community. “Whenever I canvass for Elen, I am able to talk to different people and sometimes even change their viewpoint on politics in Glendale, especially since a lot of people don’t know what’s going on in Glendale politics,” Arustamyan said. “By volunteering for Elen, I am able to go out to my community and speak about policies I’m passionate about, such as Elen’s policies towards helping women in Glendale who are affected by domestic violence.” For Nairi, volunteering for Asatryan is a way to connect with her community and advocate for the things she believes are important for Glendale.
Juniors Tigran Akopyan, Tiffany Ghayvandian, Allen Papyan, and Emily Tatiyants are all students who intern for Glendale City Council candidate, environmentalist, and Clark alumni Alek Bartrosouf. Emily, the president of Clark’s Environmental Club, is an environmentalist who wishes to be involved in keeping her community clean and environmentally friendly. Volunteering for Alek allows her to do just that. “Being an intern for Alek is the most rewarding for me personally due to his focus on environmental policies. I’ve recognized that environmental issues, especially in urban areas, are directly tied to aspects such as access to green spaces, which is one of Alek’s focuses. By working with Alek, I am able to have a direct impact on Glendale’s environment,” Tatiyants said. As students like Emily volunteer, they are able to make their opinions heard regarding topics they believe are important to Glendale, giving the city’s youth a direct say in what happens in their community.
As the 2026 Glendale City Council elections come up, students’ involvement with candidates becomes increasingly important, because being more politically aware and educated is an important step to better the future of Glendale. Especially in Glendale, where many either aren’t educated about local politics or simply couldn’t bother, students volunteering for City Council candidates can inform residents of the impact voters can make.
