Sonia Sarvarian
Blog post description.
BIOGRAPHIES
9/26/20261 min read
Sonia Sarvarian - Balasanian (1912–1970) was the third child of Margaret Harutunian and Mgrdich Sarvarian, born after her brothers Napoleon and Mushegh and before her younger brother Alexander (Sasha). She spent her earliest school years in her mother’s kindergarten before continuing her education at an Iranian school.
In 1934, Sonia married Baghdan Balasanian, a merchant originally from Goris, Armenia, who had moved south to Tehran, where he met and fell in love with her. Their first son, Edward, was born in 1936, followed two years later by their second son, Zareh.
Education remained at the center of Sonia’s life. While raising her two sons, she stayed closely involved with the Sarvarian School, serving on its board and working alongside her mother Margaret and her sister-in-law Jenia, Mushegh’s wife. Deeply devoted to her children’s education, she later sent both sons to England to continue their studies after graduating from high school.
Sonia eventually founded the Boostan School near the Sarvarian School, carrying forward her family’s commitment to education and the development of Armenian children in Tehran. She remained dedicated to this work until her death in 1970.