Hrag Bakarian Donates to Gulbenkian Foundation to Support Student Scholarships

The Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation received a donation from Hrag Bakarian which will enable Armenian undergraduate students in Lebanon to pursue their university studies in medicine for three years.

Bakarian had received a scholarship for three years (2011-2013) to study pharmacy at the Lebanese International University in Beirut. He contacted the Foundation stating: “I was a student that benefited from the Gulbenkian Foundation during my university days, now I want to see if I can make a donation back to this Foundation to help other students.” Bakarian is a licensed pharmacist and the co-founder of a specialty pharmacy in Orange County, California, which won the national “Pharmacy of the Year” award in 2025.

The president of the Foundation, Professor António Feijó, stated “The Armenian Department at the Foundation has been granting scholarships since its inception in 1957. Among our recipients are many prominent community leaders, businessmen and intellectuals, including the two Armenian Nobel Prize winners. This donation contributes to this long tradition, reflecting the generosity of our Founder.”.