Emmy Awards 2012: Who is Lauren Parsekian?

By Eliza Murphy September 24, 2012

If you watched the Emmy Awards last night, you couldn't help but notice the show-stoppingly sweet moment when Aaron Paul, 33, thanked his girlfriend during his acceptance speech.

Not only was Paul humble and thoroughly surprised to have won for his "Breaking Bad" role as Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, but he really got the viewers buzzing with his truly heartfelt comments for his fiancé.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

"Oh my God. I truly didn't even attempt to prepare a speech. I can't believe I'm standing on this stage, let alone just in this room," Paul said Sunday night.

But then he continued. "Last but certainly not least," he pointed out his "beautiful, inspiring fiancée," thanking her "so much for looking at me the way that you do, you truly saved me."

The cameras cut to her - immediately prompting America to start searching the Internet to learn more about this gorgeous girl Paul was raving over.

She is 24-year-old Lauren Parsekian. And yes, she is beautiful, but there is actually a lot more to her than just her looks and famous fiancé.

Parsekian grew up in Orange County, Calif., studied film and television production at Pepperdine University, and is a co-founder of the Kind Campaign aimed at ending "girl-against-girl" crime.

It is a cause that Parsekian said has been in her heart since she was 12 years old. The Kind Campaign, says its website, is "an internationally recognized movement, documentary and school program based upon the powerful belief in KINDness, that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-against-girl 'crime.'"

Parsekian said the most difficult time for her growing up was middle school, when a group of her friends turned on her. "I can still vividly recall every torturous experience they put me through throughout 7th and 8th grade. I think the most important part of my story is how those experiences affected me as a young girl," she said on the campaign's website. "I became scared to go to school, my grades started to drop, I was scared to answer the phone, and finding places to hide on campus became a daily routine."

Parsekian battled depression and said she knows "first hand how much it hurts to be called names, to be threatened and to feel like you are all alone."

But those dark times have passed, and there is soon-to-be wedded bliss in Parsekian and Paul's future. The beaming couple got engaged this past New Year's Eve in Paris.

"I'm so happy and excited and honored to share my life with the most amazing man on the planet," Us Weekly magazine reported Persakian wrote on her Facebook page shortly after the engagement.

The happy couple is set to be married May 26 in Malibu, and Paul has no qualms about discussing his excitement.

"She's the greatest woman that has ever existed. No offense to other women on this planet, but she is hands down the best," he said in GQ magazine's August issue.

It seems fitting Parsekian and Paul fell in love while sharing a love for music. The two originally met and became friends at Coachella music festival in California. "And then a year later, we fell in love at Coachella. We ran off together at Coachella. You know, first kiss on the Ferris wheel sort of thing," Paul told People magazine.

And Parsekian clearly shares the same admiration for her significant other. "So honored to be @ aaronpaul_8 date to the Emmys tonight :) I love you and am in awe of your talent," she tweeted Sunday.

Paul spoke to Josh Elliot for " Good Morning America" after the Emmy Awards. He acknowledged what a big year he was having, both in his career and with his engagement.

"That's the best part. She's the best. Just to see her smiling face, that's unbelievable," Paul said.