Maranatha Students Use 3D Printing to Share Hope Across the Globe

The initiative began through the Print-A-Smile Club, co-founded by student leaders Talia Zarifian ’27 and Armen Tatevossian, who envisioned using 3D printing as a way to design toys and messages of hope for underserved children during the Christmas season. Inspired by the campaign, senior Joanna Li extended the mission independently during a personally arranged visit to Kenya, delivering handmade gifts to children connected to grassroots community organizations.

Each gift package included a 3D-printed articulated toy, a Scripture tag engraved in both English and Swahili, and a student-selected Bible verse printed on a card. Students from the TILE Lab — Maranatha’s Technology Innovation for Leadership and Entrepreneurship program — designed, printed, and prepared the items with care.

“This reminded us that the impact of love doesn’t stop at borders,” said Li. “Every verse, every tag was a reminder to a child that they are seen and valued.”

The effort was supported by students including Spencer Wang ’26, George Kefalas ’26, Harout Mitilian ’26, Simon Almasi, Nikolas Mehrabian, and others, who helped prepare over 100 child-safe toys and personalized packaging. Local distribution was also coordinated through Calvary Church Pacific Palisades and Frontier Church Pasadena to ensure outreach was extended at home as well.

Talia Zarifian, reflecting on the broader impact, shared, “It started as a simple idea to serve locally—but watching it grow has been a beautiful reminder that even small acts of service can ripple far beyond what we imagine.”