Hrag M. Hamalian '05

Hrag Hamalian, lead founder and head of school of Valor Academy in Panorama City, Calif., has devoted his career to opening new opportunities for high-quality education to California's youth. After graduating from Boston College in 2005, he joined Teach for America; placed at Alain Leroy Locke High School in Watts as a biology teacher, he went on to help found the School of Math and Science in the larger context of Locke.

In pursuit of designing Valor Academy, a fifth- to eighth-grade charter school with the mission of ensuring that all students are on the path to college, Hamalian completed a year-long fellowship with the charter development organization Building Excellent Schools and a leadership residency at KIPP: Academy of Opportunity. He assembled a powerful and committed group of professionals from the Los Angeles community to serve on the founding board and to support the academic and organizational success of the proposed school. In 2011, after just two years of operation, Valor Academy attained an 850 API and has qualified as a candidate for the California Distinguished School award.

Hamalian, who holds a master's in secondary education from Loyola Marymount in addition to his dual degree in biology and English from BC, also continues his own education and is currently pursuing an MBA at UCLA.