“He’s one of the hardest working students I have ever had,” says Spanish teacher Mary Corridore.

She’s talking about senior John Basmajian, who is a student in her fifth-year Spanish class.

“When he decides he wants to do something, he figures out what it takes and does it,” says Corridore, as she sits back comfortably to describe Basmajian. She and others portray him as a positive role model, a hard worker and a well-rounded student.

Basmajian is actually tri-lingual. His first language is Armenian,(which he speaks at home), his second language is English, and his third language is Spanish.

Though languages are a huge interest for Basmajian, he says the activity he takes most pride in is being an altar server at St. Vartan’s Armenian Church in Southfield. He has served his parish for the last six years because he says that his faith inspires him to prosper. “My faith, Catholicism, is what keeps me positive, and it allows me not to give up or quit,” says Basmajian. “If I miss church, I feel I have a bad week.”

The senior says he’s inspired by his older sister Vivian. “My sister Vivian is my role model to keep me on track and help others because she has helped me so much since I was a child.”

Basmajian carries a rigorous course load at school: Honors Senior English, Advanced Placement Chemistry, Advanced Placement Calculus and Spanish 5, while maintaining an overall grade point average of a 3.6. He has been on the Honor Roll throughout his high school career.

However, he says his most challenging part of the school day is not his own classes. It’s being a mentor to a group of homebase students. “You can’t make anyone do anything they don’t want to do, so I see what they are interested in to do in the future, ask them what they feel they have to do to get to that goal, and work from there.”

He has been a freshman mentor since last year and he says that he enjoys it. “I like to help people because people have helped me, and it’s my way of giving back.”

Outside of the classroom, Basmajian is an avid tennis player who plays on the Varsity Men’s Tennis Team. He says tennis provides a pleasant diversion from his school work.

After high school Basmajian plans to attend either The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor or Harvard University to pursue his career goal in chemical engineering.

At college he wants to join or start a club for Armenian students and become its president. “I think starting this organization is very important for me to do when I enter a university because it’s what I am (Armenian), and I’m very close to my culture.”