ASA holds first biweekly meeting of the semester
The Armenian Student Association (ASA) celebrated its first meeting of the year with music, games and Armenian pizza on Wednesday, Sept. 19 in Wilden 119. The ASA club is a place where students can come to celebrate Armenian heritage and culture.
Angela Pachanian, senior international business major and ASA president, spoke of her hopes for the club this semester.
“[We want to] reach out to everyone, to make them feel welcome here, and to feel like they have a family and a safe place for every heritage. Here they can have fun, celebrate Armenian culture, and also learn about the country’s history,” Pachanian said.
The club kicked off the meeting with a history and geography lesson.
Because Armenia is located in Eurasia, people from other countries would often travel through to trade. Pachanian said that’s why many different languages are ingrained in the Armenian culture.
“Armenia is very much a place of commonality,” Pachanian said.
Club executives also shared the background of the Armenian genocide. During World War I, approximately 1.5 million Armenians within the Ottoman empire lost their lives. Last April, APU dedicated a khachkar, or cross stone memorial, on East campus to honor the victims of the genocide.
Pachanian said that while it’s great to see her culture reflected in a positive light, ASA wants the khachkar to be a place for everybody to come and honor the memory of their respective people, because the struggles of the Armenian people are similar to the struggles of other groups and cultures.
Makeda Rose, a senior vocal performance major, said although she is not of Armenian heritage, she feels a connection with their culture and feels welcome in the ASA club.
“As Christians, we should identify with each other and support each other. Sometimes at APU I would feel isolated because I couldn’t find anyone else who shared in my culture. I don’t want anybody to feel like that,” Rose said. “My friends taught me about the language and the food. I went to a lot of ASA events with them last year, and this year I was asked to be on the leadership team.”
Jessica Jenkins, MBA student, said she enjoyed the inclusive spirit of the Armenian club.
“It was interesting learning about Armenian culture and understanding a common history of struggle between Armenia and other cultures,” Jenkins said.
ASA will hold biweekly meetings on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in Wilden 119 on East campus. The next meeting will be Wednesday, Oct. 3.