Karjian Siblings Shine at the Collegiate Level

Sidney Karjian ’23 and Rex Karjian ’22, siblings and proud alumni of The Bush School, are carrying forward a powerful legacy, one rooted in community, resilience, and the joy of competition, while building standout collegiate careers that reflect the very best of the Bush experience: academic curiosity, courage, and commitment to growth.

Their journeys may unfold on different campuses, but their story is unmistakably shared: two student-athletes driven not just to win, but to lead, learn, and leave every team stronger than they found it.

Sidney is a current Chapman University (Orange, California) student-athlete, and continues to build an impressive collegiate résumé at Chapman, excelling both academically and athletically within the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).

Sidney, a junior, recently earned 2025-2026 SCIAC All-Academic honors and Second Team All-SCIAC recognition. In her past seasons at Chapman she was also named to the 2023–2024 SCIAC All-Academic Team, while also earning a spot on the Provost List for Fall 2024. On the field, she has been a consistent and impactful presence for the Panthers across three seasons.

Through her career at Chapman, Sidney has appeared in forty-eight career matches (twenty-seven starts), totaling eleven goals and five assists for 27 points while logging 2,123 minutes. She has recorded four game-winning goals and remains perfect from the penalty spot (2-for-2). She continues to make an impressive impact on the pitch. 

Before her collegiate success, Sidney enjoyed an outstanding career at Bush where she helped elevate the program to consistent postseason success. During her time as a Blazer, the team advanced to the WIAA state tournament twice, with Sidney playing a central role in those runs. Individually, she was recognized as a two-time All-Conference First Team selection and earned Honorable Mention honors as a sophomore. Through her club she was named High School Freshman of the Year, and captured the High School Golden Boot Award as a junior. Her scoring ability, work rate, and leadership defined her time at Bush and helped lay the foundation for her collegiate career.

Sidney’s success is part of a broader family tradition, as soccer is deeply woven into the fabric of the Karjian family. That tradition is exemplified by her older brother, Rex, who has also earned recognition with a standout career at Colorado College (Colorado Springs).

Rex capped his Colorado College career with his first All-American recognition.

“Rex was one of the best left-backs in the country over the past two seasons, so this recognition is well-deserved,” said Colorado College Head Coach Scott Palguta, in an article for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

 

Rex also earned Academic All-American Third Team honors for the second straight year, being named to the second-team in 2024. A Political Science major, he maintained a 3.86 GPA, distinguishing himself as a standout individual on and off the pitch.

On the field, Rex, a senior, capped a standout collegiate career by earning United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team honors, SCAC Defender of the Year, and All-SCAC First Team and All-Region First Team recognition. In 2025, serving as captain, he started eighteen matches, logged 1,486 minutes, and helped lead Colorado College to its second consecutive SCAC regular-season title and a program-record eighteen-game unbeaten streak. From the back line, Rex led the conference with eleven assists, added three goals, and finished with seventeen points, ranking among the SCAC leaders and setting career highs across the board.

Prior to Colorado College, Rex enjoyed a standout career as a Blazer. He earned four varsity letters during his time at Bush, earned Emerald Sound Conference first team his junior year, was named captain his senior year, and led his team to the 2021-2022 league, district, and state championship his senior year. Rex played a pivotal role as a part of  the 2022 WIAA 1A State Championship Team and was named to the 2022 All-State First Team, further cementing the Karjian family’s deep connection to the game.

 

Together, Sidney and Rex Karjian exemplify a family where soccer is more than a sport—it’s a way of life, pairing elite athletic achievement, leadership, and academic excellence at every level.

"Rex and Sidney each made a lasting impact on our athletic program and left a meaningful legacy for the next generation of players," Bush Athletic Director Jo Ito said. "Both continue to be referenced regularly by our coaches and student-athletes, a clear testament to the influence they had on our program.

Rex was a one-of-a-kind leader. His ability to give everything on the field and inspire his teammates, particularly along the back line, to do the same made it extremely difficult for opponents to break through defensively. His leadership and competitive presence were among the most impressive I have ever witnessed.

Sidney was also an exceptional leader, leading primarily through her actions rather than her voice. She had a rare ability to change the outcome of a game single-handedly. Her instinct to rise to the moment and find the scoresheet when it mattered most was unmatched."