Before Taking an Armenian Studies Course – What did you know about Armenia or the Armenians Marine Vardanyan Staff Writer Henry Minh Freshman Armenian Studies 20- Arts of Armenia Before taking an Armenian Studies course, all I knew was that Armenia is a Christian country, near Turkey. Now I have learned about Armenia’s ancient history and I know that they ...

Armen Arikian • Staff Writer Armenia Info www.armenianinfo.am Main Categories: About Armenia, Why Armenia, Travel & Transportation, Lodging & Dining, Entertainment & Culture, Activities, Sites of Interest. Summary: Terms such as “scenic beauty” and “rich history” often come to mind when referring to Armenia, but “vacation getaway” and “tourist destination” may not be as common. This is partly due to ...

Emma Shaljian Staff Writer New ASO executive officers, were elected at the first ASO meeting on September 9. The officers are enthusiastic and have many ideas for the new year. Below is an interview conducted with the executive officers. Vartush Mesropyan President-Junior Pre-nursing- Minor in Armenian Studies When you think about ASO, what is the first thing that comes to ...

Andrew Esguerra Staff Writer As the Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School continues to thrive and expand, active Armenian community member and former educator in the Fresno Unified School District, Zaroohi Der Mugrdechian, took the reins as principal from former principal Sophie Mekhitarian this summer. As an Armenian Community School graduate, I talked with Principal Der Mugrdechian about the school and ...

Suren Oganessian Staff Writer The symbol of my grandfather’s homeland is a mountain. What it means to be Armenian lies within this mountain. They dangle it in our faces, at the edge of our border, a silent mockery. It’s in your face but you can’t grab it, this mountain. Its name is Ararat, with its two curving slopes, no longer ...

Evelyn Demirchian Staff Writer September 14 marked the beginning of the Armenian Studies Program Lecture series for Fall 2011. Ara Oshagan presented excerpts from Father Land, a compilation of his photography, as well as commentary from Oshagan and his father—acclaimed writer and literary critic Vahe Oshagan. The book recounts the father and son’s visit to Nagorno-Karabakh. Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, ...

Staff Report Phillip Der Mugrdechian Junior, History Before going to Armenia, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had seen a few pictures of the country and listened to a lot of people talk about it, but I never thought I would actually go there. As soon as we arrived in Armenia, I realized that the country I had ...

Tamar Karkazian Editor On a recent trip to Armenia I found myself gazing out the window, watching the beautiful terrain of my homeland, and reflecting upon the question: what does it mean to be an “Armenian”? I couldn’t quite come up with one definition, one set of guidelines, one concrete answer. Looking around the bus, I was surrounded by 14 ...

Suren Oganessian Staff Writer For fans of alternative rock, perhaps the most anticipated news of 2011 was that the band “System of a Down” was going to reunite for a world tour. The band had disbanded in 2006, at what may have been the very height of their popularity to pursue other endeavors. Fans instead had been quenching their thirst ...

Tamar Karkazian Editor Living in the Central Valley, we often find ourselves entertained and preoccupied with things special to the Valley, such as Fresno State football, agriculture, and ValleyPBS. So when the Armenian Students Organization was asked to help answer telephones to raise money for ValleyPBS on Tuesday, August 9, the students were ready to help—especially since it was a ...