Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Tatevik Hovhannisyan
Staff Writer
The Armenian Students Organization (ASO) has officially kicked off a fresh and exciting semester, full of entertaining events and interesting activities. With the start of the Fall semester, a new executive body was elected at the first general meeting held on Thursday, September 12.
The meeting brought back returning students along with first-time freshmen who were interested in joining ASO. The meeting began with ice breakers, a survey, and other activities, that welcomed the students and made the meeting full of laugher and fun.
An important part of the meeting was the election of new officers: Vartush Mesropyan, President; Marine Vardanyan, Vice President; Alek Khatchigian, Treasurer; Tatevik Hovhannisyan, Secretary; and Ovsanna Simonyan, Public Relations.
“It is important to be a part of ASO because you get to interact with people who share the same culture, values, and traditions. It is also important to participate in events, because you get to meet and socialize with friends, make new friends, and get to know everyone. It is wonderful to meet a group of people who want to keep their culture alive by educating others about it,” said President Vartush Mesropyan.
Photo: Barlow Der Mugrdechian
During the meeting members were also informed of upcoming activities. ASO planned an exciting event for the 22nd anniversary of the Independence of Armenia. The executive made a large mural of Mt. Ararat, which was used as a backdrop for a photo booth at the Friday, September 20, celebration. Students dressed in Armenian traditional clothing and had their photos taken in the booth.
At the Free Speech platform other students celebrated with music, face painting, and educating others about the Armenian culture and traditions.
“It was a fun day because I got to spend time with my friends and was able to spread the word about my homeland,” said Benjamin Tanielian.
“I loved the painting of Ararat, and the whole setup. The students made it look like Armenia, and it was very heart-warming to see non-Armenian students become interested,” said history major Michael Rettig.
The goal of the event was to educate and inform students about the Independence of the Republic of Armenia and the good turn-out and participation confirmed its success.
With an exciting semester ahead, the ASO has a lot of interesting activities planned for the month of October and November: the Annual Car Wash, a Game Day, a Halloween movie night, and participating in International Culture Night on November 17.