The PilotEd Podcast

It's Not Enough to Treat Everyone Equally: Meet Armen Melkonian of HotelSchool The Hague

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Armen Melkonian is PilotEd’s first guest in over a year, due to a busy schedule in a new role for me, and also a time of renewed commitment and focus on making a concerted effort to speak to guests who are not content to do things the way they have always been done, and who are not content to sit quietly in the face of discrimination. Armen embodies both of these things, and many more qualities besides. I was delighted to meet him on a recent visit he made to my school, the British School of Barcelona, and I knew he was an extremely intelligent activist from the start.


A displaced person originally from Syria, he is Student Recruiter and Account Manager for the Dutch market, plus Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador at HotelSchool the Hague. Speaking to him was a breath of fresh air as his story is a unique one. From initially working in Syria as an interior designer, Armen’s seven years of experience working in hospitality, from front desk, food and beverage, housekeeping and management, have given him an open-minded and positive approach. Also a TED X motivational speaker and UNHCR volunteer, his is the voice of a new generation of international recruitment professionals in our industry who truly understand the choices students have,and their decision making process, and his experiences as a former student of Hotel School have shaped his entire approach to the work. I was glad to meet him some weeks ago to learn about his fascinating story.

Some of the points that stick with me from hearing Armen’s story are:

Despite suffering multiple layers of discrimination (his Syrian Bachelors degree unrecognised by the system in Europe, intolerance of his accent in his third language, anti-refugee and homophobic sentiment),  he refused to accept less and was not prepared to take any roles that did not allow him to live his truth.

  • He reminds us, and was reminded himself, that you don’t have to “check all the boxes” to be a worthy candidate for a role. Luckily for HotelSchool the Hague, they understood this and their selection process allowed his talents to shine through.
  • He has made DEI work a part integral to every step he takes. In any new situation his question is, “how am I thinking about inclusivity?”
  • Armen reminds us that in situations where students do not feel comfortable to be themselves, we are failing them. It is not enough to be equal and treat everyone equally. We must support each individual’s needs in order to reach EQUITY.
  • Finally, and crucially, young people, and young employees of this generation, are being highly selective, asking, “is this university/ company diverse? How our schools, organisations, universities and companies show up to ensuring and enabling diversity is key to success, retention of talent and growth.

    • Armen is nominated for an award with UAF, a body providing support to refugee students and professionals in their studies and in finding suitable employment on the Dutch labour market since 1948:  you can vote for him here in October 2022: https://www.uaf.nl/uaf-award/armen/?utm_source=armen&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uafaward

    (Stem op Armen means "vote for Armen")


    Armen can also be found on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/armen-melkonian-597099154/)and Instagram. (www.instagram.com/armenco25)

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    The PilotEd PodcastBy Kyra Kellawan
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