Artour Sogomonian is graduating from Esquimalt High this year. He was on both the Honour and Effort rolls at the school. He was enrolled in the French Immersion and Gifted Education programs. He is very active in the community and at his school, contributing countless volunteer hours.
At school, he edited the yearbook for the past two years and founded and served as editor-in-chief of Esquimalt Ink, the school's student newspaper. He was President of the Interact Club, which has run events such as Hunger Helpers (non-perishables for the Mustard Seed), 30 Hour Fasts (for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which helps those affected by AIDS in Africa), and Masquerade Balls (where the students go to a seniors' lodge and dance with the seniors). He is also a member of the United Way of Greater Victoria's Youth Advisory Council, which is very active in the community. This council promotes youth philanthropy and volunteerism, and has organized citywide events such as the Diversity Conference and the Youth Now Leadership awards. For all of these achievements, Artour received a few scholarships, most notably a National Millennium Excellence Award worth $25,000. This year he was also presented with Esquimalt High's “Outstanding student” award, along with several other service and academic awards.
This year, Artour was selected to work as a page in the Senate of Canada. Every year, an average of 6 university students from across Canada are hired to complete a team of 15 pages to serve the Senate. Pages are primarily responsible for the assistance of Senators and table officers throughout Senate sittings, as well as tending to the requests of various dignitaries, Supreme Court Justices, the Prime Minister, and the Governor General when visiting the Senate. Pages also attend to and assist with the proceedings to notable events such as Royal Assent, Speech from the Throne, and State Visits.
Pages are enrolled as full-time students in an Ottawa-area university. Artour will be entering his first year of undergraduate studies, working towards an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in International Studies and Modern Languages. He hopes to then attain a Master's degree, and serve as a diplomat for the Canadian Foreign Service.