Kristina Ayanian comes from a refugee family and grew up as the only child of a single mother. Because of her family’s experience, Ayanian works vigorously to achieve excellence as a musician, mentor, professional, and philanthropist. She uses her platform as Miss Universe Armenia to advocate for gender equity and equality.

Ayanian is the recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh's Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, was featured on a front-page article of CNN World News, and was invited to speak at the National Award Ceremony in Washington D.C. alongside HRH Prince Edward. She has had the privilege to perform multiple times at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and is a published author with the Armenian Weekly.

Ayanian is devoted to philanthropy and is a founder of numerous non-profit, global relief initiatives including Who We Are, an organization devoted to providing cultural understanding and diversity education, and the Arevik Armenian Children’s Fund, a non-profit supplying technology and educational supplies to orphanages in Armenia.