News

Annie Rubio Staff Writer “Our revenge will be to survive.” These words, spoken in the movie The Promise, gave new life to the remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. The Promise premiered this spring, with impressive star power and a touching love story. Despite the fact that the main run of the film is over, it still remains a powerful tool ...

  Claire Kasaian  Staff Writer Mer Hooys-House of Hope is a California-based non-profit organization that provides a home in Yerevan, Armenia, for girls from severely disadvantaged backgrounds. The Program was established in December of 2008 and is housed in the Nakashian Children’s Support Center, a two-story renovated building in the suburbs of Yerevan, named in honor of its benefactors, the ...

Annie Rubio My first time in Armenia was truly a life-changing experience. Being half-Armenian, it was a wonderful feeling to take that piece of my upbringing and completely immerse myself in it. Once we started meeting people during our travels, my fears of feeling out of place disappeared. Everyone was always so welcoming and generous to us, even if we ...

Staff Report What brings twenty-one students from varied backgrounds to take a class together at Fresno State? For the Fall 2017 semester it was a common desire to learn modern Armenian in Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian’s elementary language class, Armenia 1A. Armenians and non-Armenians alike are learning the language spoken for more than three millennia, and in so doing they ...

David Safrazian Staff Writer   “Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France: A Zenith of Diasporan Writing” was the first presentation in the Armenian Studies Program Fall Lecture Series. Writer, filmmaker, and translator Christopher Atamian visited Fresno State on Friday, September 8 to speak on a theme that is important and meaningful to Armenian history, culture, and literature. Atamian translated ...

Staff Report This summer Dr. Sergio La Porta co-taught a 5-week intensive course on Classical Armenian (krapar) at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML) of St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. The class was funded and sponsored by the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, located in Washington, D.C. Dr. La Porta was joined by Dr. Michael Pifer of ...

Staff Report The newly elected Armenian Students Organization Executive Officers were interviewd upon taking their new positions. Kara Statler President Why did you run for an executive position? I ran for President because I really want to see this club succeed. I love being a part of ASO and have always loved going to meetings and socials. I am very ...

Diana Gasparyan Staff Writer   This fall a new scholarship will be available for Fresno State students through a generous donation by the Robert V. Saroyan Family Foundation. The scholarship award will benefit students enrolled in Armenian or Armenian Studies courses. Each year, the Armenian Studies Program awards more than $50,000 in scholarships to Fresno State students, both Armenian and ...

Staff Report A team of three members of “Teach for Armenia” visited the Fresno State campus on Wednesday, September 27, to share their enthusiasm for the Program with students. “Teach for Armenia” Public Affairs Director Narek Ghazaryan, Director of Recruitment David Hambaryan, and “Teach for Armenian” fellow Khachig Choukhajian were on a west-coast visit to universities and organizations to heighten ...

Staff Report Mark your calendars-Friday, August 31, 2018. That day will mark the 110th anniversary of the birth of Fresno native and internationally recognized author William Saroyan and will be celebrated with the grand opening of the Saroyan House Museum at 2729 W. Griffith Way in Fresno. The Intellectual Renaissance Foundation, founded by Arthur Janibekyan, purchased Saroyan’s home in 2015, ...