Candidate for
Member of the City Council; City of Moorpark

Biography and Background

My father first came to the United States in the 1960s searching for the American Dream. He worked long, hard hours, just to make ends meet. He met my mother, and soon married her there after. My parents lived in Livonia, Michigan, which is near Detroit in the 1970s. They had four children, one of which was me, Jonathan Robert Panossian.

My family left Michigan in search of a hometown community. A place where children could grow up and raise their families. They found it in Moorpark. My family moved to Moorpark in 1986. I started my schooling at Mountain Meadows, and continued through Moorpark High School.

When I was 14, I decided that I would become a physician when I grew up. I heard the fact that "38% of all doctors would have chosen another career had they known what they were getting into". I thought that I should start volunteering as a Candy Striper at Simi Valley Adventist Hospital so that when I apply to medical school, they will see that I know what being a doctor involves. I volunteered at the Simi Valley Adventist Hospital for four years, earning 800 volunteer hours. After volunteering at the hospital, I decided that I did not want to become a doctor.

At the age of 15, I began volunteering as a tour guide and archivist at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library/Museum and Center for Public Affairs. As a volunteer I have strengthened my public speaking skills and have learned to communicate effectively with people from many different backgrounds. I have also had the pleasure of meeting very influential people in government and individuals who have come from all over the world enabling me to learn a great deal. This experience has definitely molded my political ideas and beliefs. I currently volunteer at the Reagan Library on Saturday mornings.

While attending Chaparral Middle School, I began taking courses at Moorpark Community College. I found Moorpark College to be a much more "mature" environment, and enjoyed it from the very start. Up through high school, I took college courses every semester, until I graduated from Moorpark College with an AA Degree in May of 2000. I graduated high school that same year. My economics professor at Moorpark College, Dr. Edwards, inspired me into studying the field of Business and Economics. I was accepted to UCLA as a junior to study Business/Economics with a minor in Public Policy.