A secret dream of a career at sea led David Ketenjian Chamyan to enroll at California
State University Maritime Academy.
David graduated with honors from the University of California, San Diego in 2010
with a bachelor's degree and a plan to go to dental school. However, during the application
process he had an epiphany
"I got up early every day and drove down to the Port of San Diego to watch the ships
come in," he said. "I realized that I wasn't really pursuing a career that I loved.
I really wanted to have that feeling of not really having to go to work because I
was doing something that I really enjoyed."
So, David applied to Cal Maritime with a new plan to major in marine transportation
and become the master of a cruise ship – a job that would combine three of his interests:
hospitality, food, and the sea.
At Cal Maritime, David is the 2016 recipient of the California State University Trustee
Emeritus Ralph Pesqueira Scholarship – one of the Trustees' Awards for Outstanding
Achievement, the CSU's highest recognitions of student achievement. The awards provide
scholarships to CSU students who demonstrate superior academic performance, personal
accomplishments, community service, and financial need.
David's grandparents originally immigrated to Uruguay from Armenia in the 1920s to
escape the Armenian Genocide. David's family moved to the U.S. when he was eight years
old, and he overcame the challenge of learning a new culture and language. Now, he
is looking forward to the realization of his dream of a life at sea.
ABOUT CAL MARITIME
Established in 1929, California State University Maritime Academy is the only degree-granting
maritime academy on the West Coast. Located in Vallejo, California, the campus offers
undergraduate degrees that prepare students for careers in engineering, transportation,
international relations, business, and global logistics. Cal Maritime also offers
a master’s degree in Transportation and Engineering Management, as well as a number
of extended learning programs and courses.