San Jac Certified: All in the family
PASADENA, Texas – The Hovsepian family can happily say that San Jacinto College has had an impact on three generations of their family. Nico Hovsepian, his mother, his wife, Cassandra, and his daughter, Christian, all attended and were later employed by the College.
When Hovsepian finished his time in the military he was ready to start his career. He enrolled at San Jacinto College and started working toward an associate degree of applied sciences. While earning his degree, Hovsepian worked at University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston for two years. Eventually his mother, a San Jacinto College employee, came to him with a suggestion.
“My mom mentioned that San Jac was hiring and that I should apply,” says Hovsepian. “She told me that she really enjoyed working here and that the people were great. She said it was like family,” He quickly applied for the job in the IT department and focused on finishing his degree.
“You become a part of a community inside of a community when you come to San Jacinto College,” said Hovsepian. During both his time working and studying at the College, he felt that he had become a part of the family. That family grew to include his wife, who holds an associate degree of arts and behavioral sciences from San Jacinto College, when she started working at the College just two weeks after Hovsepian started his own job here.
“When my wife started her job here we were able to make our work a part of our lives,” Hovsepian added. “If you work with your friends and family, you always have each other’s back. You can count on the person next to you.”
When his daughter, Christian, began working at the College, Hovsepian saw yet another one of his family members become a part of the community. Christian earned her associate degree of interior design from the College while she was still enrolled in high school. “We provided the inspiration for her and she provided the will to succeed,” said Hovsepian.
Sixteen years later Hovsepian and his family have no regrets. “Everyone has their own idea of success; we define success by how happy you are,” he noted, adding that he and his family are very happy.
“San Jacinto College put us where we are today,” he concluded. “No matter what you are enrolling at San Jacinto College to study, bring your passion with you and the staff and faculty here will help shape your destination. There are many choices to further your education, but very few have the dynamic we have here. Three generations of my family are proof that when an institution genuinely cares about their students, it does make a difference in their success.”