Nanor Balabanian

Adjunct Lecturer

Nanor Balabanian is an educator, nonprofit director, vlogger, and village enthusiast. Born in Aleppo, Syria, and raised in Anjar, Lebanon, Nanor moved to the United States at the age of 15. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a degree in Political Science before earning her M.A. in Education from Stanford University.

Nanor’s passion for education and mentorship led her to spend nine years teaching World History and English Literature in under-resourced communities in East Palo Alto and Redwood City, California. While still a college student, she founded the Hidden Road Initiative, a student-run nonprofit aimed at providing educational and leadership opportunities to students in Armenia's and Artsakh’s border villages.

In 2020, Nanor moved to Armenia to dedicate herself full-time to her nonprofit work. She now splits her time between running the Hidden Road Initiative, consulting with local educational nonprofits, and managing an educational consulting company in the U.S. Additionally, she serves as an Adjunct Faculty member at the American University of Armenia, where she takes pride in mentoring and teaching her freshman students.