EXCLUSIVE: How a Goal Alex Megerdechian Wrote Down in 2018 Became a $9.6 Million Gift for a New Armenian High School in Glendale

In an exclusive interview with The Armenian Report, the philanthropist explains why he and his wife, Lina, bought the land for the future Alex and Lina Megerdechian High School, and why the community now has to help build it.

In 2018, attorney Alex Megerdechian sat down to write his yearly goals, a habit he credits in part to the book "The Secret". One goal on that list was to become financially successful enough to one day give back to his community in a monumental way.

Eight years later, he and his wife, Lina, have done it. The couple gave $9.6 million to secure property in the heart of Glendale for a new Armenian high school, the future Alex and Lina Megerdechian High School. The gift was announced November 6 at the Blue Ribbon Soirée of Vahan & Anoush Chamlian Armenian School.

"Glendale is forever going to be the home of Armenians," Megerdechian told The Armenian Report. "When I'm gone, this will still be here. The school will be here. We'll be teaching Armenians for decades to come."

The gift moves the Chamlian community closer to a goal it has pursued for more than 40 years: an Armenian high school that lets students continue past eighth grade without leaving Glendale.

What the gift covers, and what it doesn't

The $9.6 million pays for the land only. The cost of building the campus and its opening date have not been disclosed, and a separate fundraising campaign will be needed for construction.

The deal began as an off-market property offered to Chamlian's leadership. Megerdechian said the school board, the head of school and the Western Prelacy had already studied whether the site could work before they approached him. What remained was the money. The proposal called for a donation to the Western Prelacy to fund the purchase, and the couple agreed to cover all of it.

The school will carry the Megerdechians' name but remain part of Chamlian's educational system, with its academics and administration led by Chamlian Head of School Dr. Talin P. Kargodorian. It is expected to serve about 400 students.

Why a high school

For Megerdechian, a father of three with children now in seventh, fifth and fourth grades at Chamlian, the need was personal. He watched friends face a hard choice when their children finished eighth grade: leave Armenian schooling, or commute farther from home to stay in it. Over the years, he would ask Chamlian's leaders, half joking, when they were finally going to build a high school.

His own education shaped the decision too. He attended Hoover High School in Glendale, then Glendale Community College, before transferring to the University of Southern California.

"I don't think academically I got what I wanted from my high school years," he said.

At community college, he said, he had to teach himself how to study and work with discipline. He wants future students to arrive at college ready not only to get in, but to succeed.

His own oldest daughter probably won't benefit. She is expected to attend Pilibos Armenian School after Chamlian and may already be in 10th grade by the time the new campus is finished. The family is prepared to make that commute.

"You do what's in the best interest for your kids," he said. The school, in his view, was never only about his own children.

A school built for what's next

The academic plan calls for a collegiate model that combines the arts, sciences, humanities, business, entrepreneurship and engineering, with internships, mentorships and community service. Megerdechian hopes artificial intelligence and emerging technology will set the school apart.

"What Dr. Kargodorian has in plan is really revolutionary from an educational standpoint," he said.

Armenian language, culture and Christian faith will remain at the center. In the school's announcement, Kargodorian described a high school where students are "known, challenged, and inspired to explore who they can become."

Athletics are planned, though specific sports haven't been chosen. That matters to Megerdechian, a longtime volunteer youth basketball coach who at one point led as many as eight teams, including some with none of his own children on them. Former players still tell him how his lessons stayed with them, and he keeps in touch with his own third-grade teacher. Those relationships, he said, are why he believes so strongly in investing in schools.

From long hours to a lasting gift

The 2018 goal came during years of long hours building his firm, Megerdechian Law. His parents and in-laws sometimes worried he was working too much. He said he was working toward something larger.

He lost both of his parents a year apart, in 2022 and 2023.

“My parents always believed in giving back, whether it’s time, money or even helping out and doing a good deed,” he said. “This is also a tribute to them.”

He first gave back through coaching, then through community leadership and board service. When the high school opportunity came, he brought it to Lina, who saw it as one of the most meaningful ways their family could serve their community and faith.

"I'm very blessed and thankful that I have this opportunity with my wife ... to give back to our community," he said.

The next step: building it

With the land secured, the school is now working on its academic program, architectural plans, required approvals and a construction fundraising strategy.

Megerdechian is asking parents, grandparents, business owners and professionals to help, including those whose children will never attend.

"If there's one thing I could ask anybody, it's to really open up their hearts and really contribute to the building of the school through donations and really being a part of history," he said.

The Alex and Lina Megerdechian High School Fundraising Gala is set for October 1, 2027, at Grand Manor in Glendale. Legacy naming opportunities will be offered throughout the campus.

Artin Ghazarian, chair of Chamlian's School Board, called the gift a defining moment.

"Alex and Lina Megerdechian have given that dream a place to take root," he said.

Chamlian, which serves students from transitional kindergarten through eighth grade, is the first Armenian school in the United States to earn the National Blue Ribbon School distinction.

The Armenian Report will continue following the project's fundraising and construction.

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This is an exclusive interview conducted by The Armenian Report. Media outlets are welcome to quote from it with clear attribution to The Armenian Report and a link to this article. To republish the interview in full, please contact us at info@thearmenianreport.com.