Irene’s Corner

Irene Gyulnazarian was a vivacious and beautiful 22 year old student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, majoring in Psychology. Her life was cut short in the early hours of June 15, 2003 as a result of a tragic car accident, as she was driving home for summer break after successfully completing her junior year.

Family and friends knew Irene as a vibrant, compassionate, caring person. Her outgoing personality created a wide circle of friends who shared her interests in music, literature, and Armenian culture. She wrote poetry, loved to sing, dance and play the piano, enjoyed theatre and had the soul of an artist. Irene was academically gifted and, for the last four years, was featured in the National Dean’s List, a publication that recognizes outstanding students in America. She had planned to pursue a career in psychology after her graduation from the UC Santa Barbara.

The Irene Gyulnazarian Educational Fund for Armenia (IGEFA) has been established to create a living memorial to Irene’s life and interests.