Ruben Vardanyan’s daughter read her father’s message at the SKOLKOVO School of Management graduation ceremony

“This means a lot to our entire family,” the social entrepreneur’s daughter thanked the Skolkovo students for supporting her father and read a letter that the school’s founder sent to students and teachers.

“Today, as I did three years ago, when I gave a speech at the 15th anniversary of the SKOLKOVO, I want to start with words of gratitude and thank everyone who brought life into this unique project, through whose efforts it still lives now and, I hope, will live for many, many years to come. Communities are not formed by instruction – only by love. And I wish the SKOLKOVO community to maintain the love and respect for each other that was established from the very beginning.

There are different interaction strategies. I always thought the best strategy was the one where you give more than you expect to get in return. Paradoxically, my personal experience shows that this strategy turns out to be the most advantageous in the long run. In the case of SKOLKOVO, it has proved to be fully justified: we are finally seeing the fruits of what we sowed 18 years ago. It took years for them to mature, but we worked for the long term and planted trees under the shade of which our children and grandchildren will be sheltering.

Unfortunately, they have to live in difficult times, but evil is finite and good is infinite, and I believe that together we will overcome everything. Your support gives me strength and makes me happy even here in the prison cell. I am sure that soon we will meet again and I will see your happy faces and eyes burning with joyful excitement. It will happen!

Always yours, Ruben”.