2024 Trailblazer Alumna Award
The Mercy High School Alumnae Association is proud to announce the recipient of the 2024 Trailblazer Alumna Award, Ariana Kabodian '11. Based on the Mercy Core Values of Compelled by Mercy, Educational Courage, Inspired by Faith, Principled Leadership and A Voice For Dignity and Respect, the Trailblazer Alumna Award is designed to honor an alumna who graduated within the years 2003-2019 and is commended for her incredible efforts to make a difference early in her career.
Mercy President Dr. Cheryl Delaney Kreger '66 presented her award during Tea for Tuition on Sunday, April 28, 2024.
ARIANA KABODIAN '11
Ariana Kabodian ’11 was a four-year varsity athlete at Mercy High School, competing in the #1 and #2 singles positions on the women’s tennis team. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Aquinas College, where she was a student athlete on the women’s tennis team, and in 2015, graduated with a B.S. in Sustainable Business. Continuing her education, she later obtained an M.B.A. from The Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University in 2022, with a GPA of 3.76, specializing in Global Supply Chain Management and Entrepreneurship/Innovation.
While pursuing her M.B.A., Ariana was the graduate president of Net Impact, a nationally recognized student organization dedicated to fostering learning about sustainability and climate change. In addition, Ariana’s graduate research titled, “The Flaws of Straws: Greenwashing, Social Media, and The Straw Ban Movement”, was selected to be the platform presenter at Wayne State University’s 2022 Graduate Research Symposium. Her research analyzed how top straw corporations’ alternatives to plastic drinking straws contributed to more waste, while misleading consumers into believing they are making sustainable choices through greenwash marketing.
Ariana is a Certified Sustainability Professional (CSP) from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which is an internationally recognized sustainability reporting framework. Ariana represents UL Solutions as their Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Reporting Specialist, focusing on data collection, governance, and management. Additionally in this role, she contributes to ESG-related research efforts and ensures the quality of ESG data audits comply to global ESG disclosure requirements. Prior to her current role, she gained valuable experience at a leading global sustainability consulting firm, and at a premier global media and entertainment company.
In 2020, Ariana managed both full-time work and graduate studies while writing, “Forget Me Not: Armenian Genocide Recollections”, a tribute to her ancestors’ experiences during and after the Armenian genocide, published by Schuler Books. This book sheds light on a moment of history that has been referred to as the “forgotten genocide”, thus encompassing the symbolic forget-me-not flower as its official symbol of resiliency.
Her career in ESG and Sustainability aligns with the themes of her book, emphasizing the importance of preserving history and advocating for a better future. Through her partnership with the Paros Foundation, author proceeds from her book support children at the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Armenia, through providing children with shoes.
“Forget Me Not: Armenian Genocide Recollections”, was honored as a 2021 Top Title of the Year by Schuler Books. Ariana is the youngest Armenian American author to have her book selected for cataloging in the Library of Congress Armenian Historical Section, and her story has been featured in The Detroit Free Press and CBS Detroit.
Ariana credits Mercy High School for instilling in her a commitment to philanthropy through its required community service hours, and for inspiring her passion for writing. Guided by the meaning of “Debi Arach”, which in English translates to “moving forward”, she strives to make a positive contribution to society through integrity, kindness, and respect.