So unfair, She pulled me aside on my birthday” – Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian uncovers “trauma” and Armenian great-aunt’s message that shaped him…. Check In

Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, shared a piece of advice his great-aunt gave him that shaped him as a person. Ohanian also claimed that hailing from a family with Armenian heritage instilled a sense of responsibility in him at a tender age.

Ohanian’s grandparents came to the US as refugees of the Armenian Genocide (the systemic destruction of millions of Armenian people during a death march, implemented by the Committee of Union and Progress). When the tech mogul was young, the family moved to a Maryland neighborhood where they were the only Armenians. Serena Williams’ husband attended the AGBU-hosted
summer camps to stay close to his roots.

From a young age, he developed a knack for computer applications. His entrepreneurship journey started in college, where he took his first business steps in the build-up to an empire.

In a recent interview with Hot 97, Serena Williams’ husband offered a peak into his life as a refugee and how a piece of advice from his great-aunt shaped him into what he is today.

I’m so much more captivated by the story of someone who triumphs in the face of all the bullshit. My birthday is April 24th, the anniversary of the genocide. My great-aunt Vera, she pulled me aside on my 5th or 6th birthday, and she said, ‘Look, let me tell you the story of your family and the responsibility you have to make the most out of this life. Because a lot of people sacrificed and dealt withunspeakable things. And they endured, and they triumphed, and you need to do great things. And then happy birthday.'”