News

Andrew Hagopian Editor “It starts out, and it’s a string quartet, which is a bad sign because it is not what I want. I want truth. I want down right folk truth. Then this voice comes out of the record and I immediately thought, oh, I like you,” said Ian Nagoski, when first listening to the voice of soprano Zabelle ...

Staff Report Fresno State alumnus James L. Melikian, hosted an annual September gathering of friends at his home in Southern California, in support of the James L. Melikian & L.A. Brothers Scholarship fund, which was established at Fresno State in 2019. This year’s gathering raised over $5,000, which will be awarded to deserving students studying in the Armenian Studies Program ...

Benjamin Kirk Communication Specialist College of Arts and Humanities The Fresno Unified School District officially changed the name of Forkner Elementary School to H. Roger Tatarian Elementary School in a ceremony on Sept. 7. As the thermometer found a third digit late in the morning, dignitaries spoke at the podium illuminated by the full intensity of the late summer sun. ...

On Thursday, September 8, 2022, the Armenian Students Organization held their first meeting for the 2022-2023 academic year. After a heated rock-paper-scissors tournament, elections were held for the executive positions. The elections yielded the following results: Sara Beberian, President; Sevana Wassilian, Vice President; Hrayr Kerkezian, Treasurer; Christa Eritzian, Secretary; and Careen Derkalousdian, Public Relations.   Sara Beberian President Business Major ...

Carina Tokatian Staff Writer When discussing the relation-ship between being Armenian and Christian, an Armenian priest living in modern-day Turkey told Dr. Hrag Papazian, “As the apostle Paul has taught us, we cannot separate the body from the soul. In an identical way, we cannot separate Armenianness from Christianity. Armenianness is the body, Christianity is the soul. They form an ...

Careen Derkalousdian Staff Writer “We don’t write these histories from the women’s perspective. These histories don’t allow us to understand how Armenian women experienced being snatched or given up or taken in,” said Dr. Rebecca Jinks. “It doesn’t allow us to understand how they dealt with the violence, the uncertainty, the isolation, and the dependence on their host families. It’s ...

Bryan Tellalian Special to Hye Sharzhoom On Monday, May 30, 2022, His Beatitude Raphael Bedros XXI, Armenian Catholic Patriarch of the See of Cilicia, made the first official visit of an Armenian Catholic Patriarch to the city of Fresno. His Beatitude is the spiritual father for Armenian Catholics throughout the world. In Fresno, His Beatitude led a prayer service and ...

Staff Report There is an exciting new exhibit to see this year at the Fresno County Historical Museum, featuring the works of one of Fresno’s most iconic artists, Varaz Samuelian. On Saturday, September 3, a special preview of the exhibit was held and attracted a crowd of hundreds. This was the first time some of Varaz’s paintings had ever been ...

Lena Maranian Adishian, for copies of Impact of an Ancient Nation: Bridging the Past, Present, and Future with 100+ Facts about Armenia and the Armenians (The 100 Years, 100 Facts Project, 2016), 140 pp., in English, and with lavish photographs. Created by Lena Maranian Adishian and written by Nareg Seferian. The book brings to life historical episodes, notable individuals, diaspora ...

Tatiana Samouie Biology Minor in Armenian Studies   What encouraged you to take an Armenian Studies course? Through my involvement in the Armenian community, I wanted to learn more about our history, traditions, and heritage in a more academic manner. After taking the first semester of Armenian language, I wanted to continue and to pursue a Minor in Armenian Studies. ...