Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Marine Vardanyan-Staff Writer
Since its inception, the core of the Armenian Studies Program mission has been to educate students. The Program has impacted a large number of students by providing education, support, and numerous opportunities. As these students move forward in their lives, they carry with them their experiences from the Program.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Armenian Studies Program, some graduates of the Program were asked to share their reflections and advice.
Tamar Karkazian
Business Administration
(2013)
Please tell us how being involved in the Armenian Studies Program influenced your choice of career?
My work in the marketing world is greatly impacted by my experience as a writer and editor for Hye Sharzhoom. As editor, I focused on how to make our articles appealing and engaging and that is a lot of what I do now.
How did your involvement with the Armenian Studies Program make a difference in your life?
I would say the biggest impact has been the lifelong friends I have made and the incredible experiences I have participated in.
What would you say to current students about the benefits of being involved with the Armenian Studies Program?
Getting involved with the Program will benefit students because it will encourage them to push past their comfort zone and learn about new things, whether they are familiar with Armenian culture and language or not.
Sevag Tateosian
Criminology
Armenian Studies Minor (2004)
Please tell us how completing an Armenian Studies Minor influenced your choice of career?
At the time I was taking classes to fulfill the requirements of my Minor, I was co-hosting the Hye Oozh radio program at Fresno State, and now I am the host of the “Central Valley Ledger.” The Minor taught me lessons that I was then able to share with my listening audience. Today I use these lessons to explain not only the history of the Armenians, but the history of Christianity and the Middle East.
What motivated you to begin and complete a Minor?
My grandparents always talked to me about Armenian history. The Minor was an easy way to learn about where my I came from and allowed me to have educated conversations with our elders. Today, I have an appreciation of life and most of that feeling comes from learning about my past.
What would you say to current students about the benefits of being involved with the Armenian Studies Program, taking courses, and completing a Minor?
Armenians have been an instrumental piece in building the great history of our Valley. By learning about each other, we can better understand the circumstances that brought the various cultures here. The Minor helps one better understand and appreciate Armenian history.
Hagop Ohanessian
Business Administration
Minors in Armenian Studies and History
(2009)
Please tell us how completing an Armenian Studies Minor influenced your choice of career?
I am blessed to be teaching in the Armenian Studies Program. It is a wonderful experience and opportunity to be teaching the same courses that I once took. Completing a Minor has enriched my career as an educator. A Minor led to me to pursue graduate work in History and now a doctorate in Education.
What motivated you to begin and complete the Minor?
Armenian Studies 10 and Armenian 148 were my first two classes in the Program. After completing them and traveling to Armenia and Karabagh with the Program my sophomore year, I decided to complete the Minor.
What would you say to current students about the benefits of being involved with the Armenian Studies Program, and completing a Minor?
The Armenian Studies Program has a committed faculty in Professors Barlow Der Mugrdechian and Sergio La Porta, who have dedicated many years to teaching and research. Students have an opportunity to get involved in the Armenian Students Organization, Hye Sharzhoom, and the Program Lecture Series. The Program also offers scholarships for students who take Armenian Studies courses. My message to current and incoming students is to get involved. You do not want to miss out on this wonderful opportunity to engage yourself with a Program that has been around for forty years!
Zhanna Bagdasarov
Psychology
Armenian Studies Minor
(2005)
How did completing an Armenian Studies Minor make a difference in your life?
I am an Assistant Professor of Management at Fresno State’s Craig School of Business. Completing a Minor helped solidify my choice of a career in teaching and research and made me feel confident among knowledgeable Armenians. I gained an appreciation for different aspects of the culture that were unknown to me before. Earning the Minor opened my world to a culture about which I knew so little.
What motivated you to begin and complete a Minor?
I began by taking one course to fulfill a General Education requirement my first semester and quickly realized that my knowledge of the Armenian culture was very limited. I then took another course the following semester, which ultimately snowballed into taking all the courses offered. I completed the Minor without even realizing that my genuine interest in the courses earned me an additional degree.
What would you say to current students about the benefits of being involved with the Armenian Studies Program, taking courses, and completing a Minor?
Fresno State has a unique Program; the benefits are so much greater than one can ever realize.
Invest the time to broaden your horizons, open your mind to new knowledge, and allow yourself to truly experience the myriad opportunities the Armenian Studies Program has to offer. You have nothing to lose, yet so much to gain. You won’t be sorry!