In the News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-291-2165
info@birthrightarmenia.org
May 16, 2006
BIRTHRIGHT ALUM GET ORGANIZED NATIONWIDE
Wynnewood, PA -- William Saroyan once said that “when two
Armenians meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create
a new Armenia.” Probably this is most true when it comes
to students. Or at least that’s what University of Chicago
sophomore and Birthright Armenia alum Nishan Bingham set out to
prove when he and three of his friends decided to establish the
University’s first ever Armenian Students Club.
“We all got together one night and talked about it,”
says Nishan. “Then we networked and kept an eye out for
Armenian names.” In fact, Nishan and his three comrades
went through the entire Face Book looking for the signature “-ian”
that marks Armenian last names. “It was difficult,”
says Nishan, “because Chicago doesn’t have a huge
Armenian population. But we came up with more than 30 names.”
After establishing a mandate, decorating the campus with posters,
and publicizing the new group, the Armenian Students Club had
its first meeting on February 18, 2006 and plans to hold elections
this semester.
While Nishan’s concept for the Armenian Students Club was
realized on the University of Chicago campus, the idea began much
earlier, across the Atlantic, during his summer experience Armenia.
As a volunteer for the Land and Culture Organization (LCO), a
group dedicated to bringing diasporan volunteers from all over
the world together to dedicate their service to restoring, reviving
and maintaining Armenia’s land and culture, Nishan spent
time in Yerevan as an active participant in the Birthright Armenia
program, as well as the outlying region of Shushi with LCO. “Being
in Armenia made me feel entitled as an Armenian and obligated
to represent Armenian culture in America, in my community, and
especially at my school,” says Nishan.
Among Birthright alum around the U.S., it appears that Nishan
is not alone in his quest to bring Armenians together. Two other
Birthright alums have begun similar projects on their own campuses.
Over the last several months Los Angeles-native Varty Defterderian,
a sophomore at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and
Aline Alexanian, a student at University of North Carolina Chapel
Hill, have both been working hard to form on-campus Armenian student
organizations.
When asked what prompted her to begin her venture, Varty says
“I miss my Armenian community.” She goes on to describe
how her own experience as a volunteer in Armenia through the Armenian
Students Association New York and Birthright Armenia participant
helped shape her desire to bring a bit of Armenia back to Philadelphia.
“I really felt a longing for my language and my culture.
Philly was starting to feel like home, but it was definitely missing
an integral part for my life and with this club and the handful
of Armenians that Birthright Armenia introduced me to, I'm beginning
to fill that void here,” she says. Already, Varty, who currently
serves as Vice President of the UPenn ASA, has helped organize
a viewing of the April 17th PBS documentary on the Genocide, as
well as participation in a Hoke Hankist on April 24th at a local
church. She has also been working with other local area university
Armenian student groups to coordinate joint activities at Drexel,
Villanova, Temple, Saint Joseph’s and Rutgers.
Aline Alexanian, a student at University of North Carolina, who
volunteered in Armenia through the AYF Summer Internship Program
shared similar experiences with Nishan and Varty through Birthright
Armenia. While the UNC group began as a simple dinner club among
friends, Aline, along with two of her fellow classmates, has dedicated
herself to making the group a recognized campus organization.
Aline says that her focus for the group is to spread the word
about Armenian culture in the South. She also hopes that once
the group is officially recognized by UNC, they will be able to
participate in the many international events that already occur
regularly on campus, and even push for the addition of an Armenian
culture class into the current curriculum.
Nishan has been working on similar events for the University
of Chicago campus. Although the group is still in its beginning
stages, Nishan has high hopes that soon the club’s activities
will include kefs, cultural shows, and fundraisers for Armenian
charities. He even plans to host an Armenian film series at the
campus theater, featuring films by Parajanov and Atom Egoyan,
director of the landmark film Ararat. “I am really proud
and excited,” says Nishan. “My experience over the
summer with LCO and Birthright is really what got me going.”
In fact, Nishan’s dedication to the new students club was
part of a written continuing involvement promise required by Birthright
Armenia prior to receiving a travel reimbursement.
Linda Yepoyan, Executive Director of Birthright Armenia, believes
that at the end of their stay in the Homeland, “something
in these young Armenians just clicks when forced to think about
how they can promise to stay involved and give back to their diasporan
community. Perhaps it never occurred to them that they themselves
could be the one to provide the action. However, their time in
Armenia doing rewarding volunteer service and seeing additional
work that needs to be done is the motivating factor. I am so proud
of our alumnus and am convinced that amongst them are some great
future leaders and activists of the Armenian people and nation.”
As alums of one of the first Armenian organizations to financially
sponsor young diasporan Armenians in their service to the Motherland,
Nishan, Varty and Aline have set a path that many hope other diasporans
around the world will follow. “It’s really important
to get people involved. So many diasporans are disconnected,”
says Nishan. When looking around at her own campus, Varty agrees
wholeheartedly. “There are a lot of Armenians on campus
that are only part Armenian and all they know about being Armenian
is some of the food or that one of their parents or grandparents
was Armenian. It's absolutely amazing to be able to share with
them a bit of their culture and give them a taste of their history.”
Looking at the success of these three distinct programs, one
can truly see the legacy that Armenia instills in her descendants.
These three talented diasporans brought back more than stories
and great photos from their summer in Armenia – they brought
home the future of a rich culture and the beautiful people that
comprise it. As William Saroyan would attest, they established
a new Armenia.
For those interested in learning more about Birthright Armenia,
please visit www.birthrightarmenia.org
or email info@birthrightarmenia.org
.
