Evelyn K. Demirchian Staff Writer Sixteen-year-old Armenian exchange-student Artak Grigoryan came to the Unites States with several expectations. Never having visited the United States before, and only previously studying for a short time in France, Grigoryan says he expected the United States to be, “beautiful, interesting, and new for me.” Grigoryan is here through the World Heritage Foundation’s Student Exchange ...

Andrew Antaramian, Staff Writer Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have always been great resources for disadvantaged and needy people. These organizations provide financial resources, support, and other outreach programs to people in need. Many people all over the world rely on NGOs for aid and help in their time of need. They are typically geared to one specific area. There are numerous ...

Staff Report Thirty-four scholars and writers from throughout the world participated in the Third Annual Conference on Armenian Writers, held November 6-8, at the University of California, Los Angeles. The conference was organized by Dr. Peter Cowe, Naregatsi Chair of Armenian Studies at UCLA and by the Writers Union of Armenia, whose President Levon Ananyan, presented opening remarks. The previous ...

Hagop Ohanessian Staff Writer Dr. Sergio La Porta was appointed as Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies at Fresno State and joined the faculty this Fall semester as an Associate Professor of Armenian Studies. Dr. La Porta’s father immigrated from Sicily in 1960 and his mother, whose parents were English and Dutch, was born in New York. Dr. ...

Evelyn K. Demirchian Staff Writer Mayor Ashley Swearingen joined with members of the Fresno-Armenia Sister City Committee and with representatives from the Armenian community at a press conference at Fresno City Hall on October 30, to announce the newly launched Fresno-Etchmiadzin Sister City relationship. Mayor Swearengin stated, “I am proud of the efforts of the Fresno-Armenia Sister City Committee and ...

Armen Meldonian Staff Writer The Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State and the Henry Madden Library hosted a special opening reception for a traveling exhibit called “Légion Arménienne: The Armenian Legion and Its Heroism in the Middle East” at 3:00 pm on Sunday, November 1. The exhibit was prepared by the Watertown, Massachusetts-based Armenian Library and Museum of America. Prof. ...

Antonia Arslan and Paolo Zaninoni for the gift of the book La Strada di Smirne [The Road From Smyrna] (Milan, R.C.S. Libri SpA; 2009), authored by Antonia Arslan. Serge Avedikian, Paris, for a copy of his movie, “We Drank the Same Water.” [French, English, Armenian]. Dr. George Bournoutian, Iona University, for his gift of the book Armenians in Australia and ...

Armen Melidonian Staff Writer The Fig Garden Branch of the Fresno Public Library hosted author Michael Bobelian at 7:00 pm on Thursday, October 1, for a book signing and to discuss his newly released Children of Armenia: A Forgotten Genocide and the Century-Long Struggle for Justice. This was Bobelian’s last stop in California for a series of public book readings ...

Staff Report Former California State Senator Charles Suren Poochigian was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as an Associate Justice for the California Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District. The Fifth Appellate District Court is located in Fresno, California, with a jurisdiction that includes the following nine central California Counties: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare, and ...

Hagop Ohanessian Staff Writer Armenian Studies/History 108A, a survey of ancient and medieval Armenian history, is one of the Armenian courses offered this semester at Fresno State. A diverse group of students who are interested in learning about Armenian history have enrolled in the course, part of a two semester survey of Armenian history offered through the Armenian Studies Program. ...