Performers from the Glendale-based Exclusive Dance Studio present the Berd and Yarkhushta dances. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Armenian History Month kickoff honors excellence, legacy of survival and resilience
Heartfelt words — including remarks by USC President Carol Folt — and traditional dance and food highlight the event in Hahn Plaza.
On Tuesday, the second annual Armenian History Month opening ceremony transformed Hahn Plaza on USC’s University Park Campus into a lively space for traditional Armenian dancing.
A costumed troupe from the Glendale-based Exclusive Dance Studio invited students and other attendees to join the merriment as the group performed the Berd and Yarkhushta dances for the crowd.
The USC Armenian Student Association and the Institute of Armenian Studies at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences partnered to plan and host the ceremony and the monthlong series of events that will follow. Both organizations are dedicated to honoring Armenian excellence, culture, history and contributions to the USC community and beyond.
“We stand here together, proving that Armenian History Month is more than just a series of events,” said emcee Eduard Ghazaryan, a senior at USC Dornsife. “It is a statement of our resilience, unity and belonging.”
The kickoff event drew nearly 200 students, faculty, staff, university deans and other senior leaders, led by USC President Carol Folt.
“We’re here honoring the beautiful cultural heritage that is our Armenian community,” Folt said in her remarks at the event. “We’re also here to recognize the strength, the resilience and the truly profound impact that the community has had, not only here at USC, but in Los Angeles and around the world.”
L.A. County is home to more than 200,000 Armenians — the largest concentration outside of Armenia. When the L.A. County Board of Supervisors declared April to be Armenian History Month in 2022, students and the institute began a grassroots effort to mark the occasion at USC.
Folt praised the students for their steadfast efforts to celebrate their culture campuswide. She also gave credit to the institute for strengthening USC ties directly to Armenia. Folt cited as an example Trojans traveling to Armenia this summer as part of a signature Maymester program made possible by Tufenkian Travel Scholarships.
Folt ended her remarks with a quote from William Saroyan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Time of Your Life and dedicated it to the seniors in the crowd:
“‘Seek goodness everywhere, and when it’s found, bring it out of its hiding place and let it be free and unashamed.’”
“That is what today is about,” Folt added. “That is what I hope we’re about every day.”
USC Armenian History Month kickoff: Sharing the Armenian experience
Mané Berikyan, president of the Armenian Student Association, explained to the crowd that the monthlong observation focused on looking forward to the future and celebrating Armenian excellence because the country’s history has too often “been told selectively” to fit into molds of genocide, tragedy and sorrow.
“While these narratives will naturally prevail in our story of profound survival and resilience, and we must necessarily step up to speak of them when no one else will, they paint an incomplete picture of the Armenian experience,” Berikyan said.
She added that “for every story of Armenians being uprooted by conflict and displacement, there are a dozen stories of rebirth, innovation, excellence and strength in quite literally every corner of the world.”
Maral Tavitian, managing director of the Institute of Armenian Studies, said in her remarks that the concept of Armenian excellence does not only apply institutionally, but also individually.
“This beautiful event is a product of … commitment to ensuring that Armenian voices are recognized and celebrated as part of the vibrant tapestry that makes [the] USC student [body] so special,” Tavitian said.
L.A. City Council President Emeritus Paul Krekorian, the ceremony’s guest speaker, emphasized the importance of preserving Armenian culture through education, arts and political activism, and celebrated the Armenian diaspora’s impact on American society.
Armenian Americans have “added immeasurably to making California the great state that we all enjoy today,” Krekorian said.
Trojans appreciate Armenian spotlight
As she waited in line for refreshments, Isabella Mehrabian, a sophomore at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, said she was moved by the opening event.
“I think it’s really cool that USC does something like this to celebrate our culture,” Mehrabian said. “Having Carol Folt come out and speak — I thought that was really special.”
Senior Nick Samuelian of the USC Price School of Public Policy said he had been looking forward to the event since it was announced.
“I think it’s great that we get to represent ourselves on campus,” Samuelian said. “It’s just cool to spread the word and to have people who are not Armenian see and learn about our culture and history.”
Sophomore Kara Garikian of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering said it was exciting to see her Armenian culture showcased in the middle of campus.
“There’s a lot of observers who get to see the traditional rugs, see the dancing and taste the food,” Garikian said. “If they can learn more about the Armenian culture and appreciate it, it’s a plus.”
A month of special events
Tuesday’s opening was the first in a series of Armenian History Month events at USC that also includes a science and technology conference, a cultural showcase, a game night, an undergraduate Armenian studies research symposium and an Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Candlelight Vigil in collaboration with the UCLA Armenian Students’ Association.
