We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Meri Tumanyan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Meri , so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
I’m blessed with genuine friends and well-wishers in my life, but it’s unrealistic to believe that everyone will always have our best interest at heart. I’ve received hateful messages and defamatory emails sent to me and to people around me, including employers.
Despite my optimism and my desire to see the good in people, I’ve still encountered negativity and “haters” whom I do not personally know, yet they have made my life more difficult than it needed to be. The way I overcome such challenges is to have faith in myself–my character, my principles–trusting that those who truly know me will not lend an ear to false information or blatant lies meant to dim my light.
I believe it is our actions and the contributions we make to our communities that stand as the true testament to who we are, not what people say about us. I’ve learned that “haters” and nay-sayers often dislike themselves first; they’re not fulfilled in their own lives, and diminishing others becomes, sadly, the only way they feel better about themselves. I have deep sympathy for such people and hope they find peace and purpose in their own lives.
As to me, all I can do is keep moving on, keep creating, and keep enjoying all the simple joys life has to offer.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a full-time high school English teacher and an adjunct English instructor at local community colleges. I’ve been an educator since I was 22 years old, and the classroom has always been a second home, a place where I can nurture curiosity, guide young voices, and witness the transformative power of language. Teaching is not just a profession, but a passion, and the classroom is the space where I feel most purposeful and connected.
In the past few years, I have been advising the Creative Writing Club at Glendale High School. It is a role that has allowed me to support students as they explore their creativity and growth as writers. We’ve also had the privilege of participating in numerous community poetry events across Los Angeles. Several students have had their work published, and most recently, two of our members won the 2025 Glendale Unified School District Poetry Our Loud Contest, an achievement that reflects their talent, discipline, and passion for the arts.
Our club’s work extends beyond the school campus. Each year, we reach out to the broader community by writing poetry and creating greeting cards for veterans, the elderly, and individuals in hospitals. This initiative, called the “Words Do Wonders Project,” celebrates the healing power of language and the profound impact words can have on those who are most in need of compassion, connection, and encouragement. Through this project, students learn that their voices matter–not only on the page, but in the lives of others.
After all these years, what continues to inspire me is witnessing the way students grow, how they realize that their voices, their stories, and their perspectives hold power, and eventually find a path that leads to their own passions in life. Education, at its core, is an act of service and hope, and I remain deeply grateful to this work every day.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Believing in myself, placing trust in good people, and having faith that the universe provides are what keep me going these days. We all carry so much untapped potential–talents, strengths, and reservoirs of resilience we haven’t yet uncovered. I believe that excavating the mine of our inner world is a lifelong journey.
Good people exist. Trustworthy friends can support, uplift, and inspire us, and surrounding myself with good people has been essential to my growth. But ultimately, I believe that God, the Universe, or whatever higher power we hold in our hearts, has a way of balancing things out– rewarding us for our efforts while teaching us the difficult lessons that refine and polish us into who we are meant to become.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was instill empathy, selflessness, and a strong work ethic. They modeled these values every day. My parents consistently sacrificed time, money, energy to help others in need, showing us that empathy is not just a virtue, but a way of life. Growing up, I witnessed how genuine human connections are formed and how meaningful relationships are nurtured through kindness and compassion.
When it came to work ethic, my dad always taught us that all decent work is honorable. No matter what path we chose, he believed we should do it well and strive to be the best we can be in our chosen profession. My mom, on the other hand, emphasized responsibility, organization, punctuality, and attentiveness to others–remembering birthdays, visiting the sick, checking in on people regularly, etc.
These habits have become second nature to me and have formed the foundation of what I consider good friendship and good character. Their lessons continue to shape who I am and how I move through the world. Now, as both a parent and an educator, I try to instill the same values in my own children and in my students, hoping that the lessons my parents taught me will continue to ripple forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://meritumanyanbooks.com
- Instagram: mt_musings
- Facebook: Meri Tumanyan Books
- Linkedin: Meri Tumanyan
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