Vahagn Setian

 

Outside - I am flying in the air. 
Inside - I am a boat on a dock, waiting for someone to come. 
Outside - I am like a feather that has been lifted in the air by a nice breeze.
Inside - I am like a star in the deep deep black space.
Sometimes I am a horse in the wide prairie, running faster than anything I can imagine. Sometimes I am also a breeze of wind blowing by the mountains.
Inside and outside I am a boy full of adventures who wants to fly.

-Vahagn Setian

Vahagn Setian – 1989–2006

Vahagn Setian was born in Yerevan, Armenia on August 1st, 1989. Coming to the United States while still a child, he immediately immersed himself within the community he came to consider his family – his Beverly Hills family.

Vahagn always fondly recalled his first memories of Hawthorne Elementary School. Standard procedure dictated that he should be placed in an “English as a Second Language” (ESL) class with others new to the U.S. However, the school’s Principal saw something special in Vahagn, and dared to let him plunge directly into the regular class curriculum. In less than a month, Vahagn had made dozens of friends and was succeeding in every facet of his education.

Probably because Vahagn had so few family members in the United States, he quickly mastered the art of creating a family of friends. His mother recalls the joyful duty of constantly sharing her son with the families of the friends he cherished

In middle school Vahagn discovered his passion for music, a passion he committed to exploring deeply with his heart and his mind. Vahagn remembered his elation upon discovering that music was mandatory in middle school. However, he was deeply disappointed when he learned that the guitar teacher he had hoped to study with – had quit. At that moment Vahagn decided to take up the saxophone. Since that day, Vahagn never wavered in his commitment to, and love of, a wide range of music and musical instruments. For Vahagn, music and love seemed interchangeable. One quote Vahagn lived by, an idea that his life reflects, is by Jimi Hendrix: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

Vahagn attended Beverly Hills High School. The swimming classes that he attended during the middle school, which took place at the Beverly High pool, instilled in Vahagn the desire to become an accomplished member of the Water Polo Team at BHHS.

Vahagn loved his mother and father more than anything imaginable. He considered them his mentors, his friends, his existence.

Many friends will remember Vahagn as either a musician or a team member. And everyone who knew him will always remember him as a kind, loving soul who touched their hearts with the warmth of his brotherhood and humor. Vahagn had a genius for recognizing the inherent goodness in people without the slightest prejudice or precondition. His ability to bring a smile to a friend’s face, or to inspire laughter in the darkest moments, will remain unrivaled. Those memories will be with us forever.