AYF-WR Announces Winners of Syrian Armenian Scholarship

Glendale, CA — On Thursday, the Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region announced the recipients of the Syrian Armenian Scholarship. The winners were Pierre Afarian of Yerevan State University, and Goruen Soghomonian and Tsoghig Ashekian from the State Engineering School of Armenia.

“As members of the Armenian Youth Federation, we felt that it is our responsibility to help other youth in their time of need, especially students that are barely trying to make ends meet so that they may have a brighter future,” said Serob Abrahamian, the Syrian Armenian Scholarship Coordinator. “Although there were many highly qualified students who applied to the scholarship, we could only choose three.”

The AYF-WR established this scholarship due to the influx of refugees escaping the ongoing war in Syria. Many of these Armenians went to neighboring countries like Lebanon, and others went back to their homeland Armenia.

“While reading the essays of the applicants, it saddened me to hear what my people had to go through and have to continue to battle today,” said Joseph Kaskanian, Syrian Armenian Scholarship Committee member. “But what was amazing was to see that not even war stopped our youth from pursuing their education.”

The Armenian Youth Federation believes that through the help of each and every individual, we can directly influence the lives of the Armenian people.

“Thank you so much to our friends in the United States who have established this selfless initiative for their brothers and sisters,” said Afarian, the first place winner. “I personally want to thank all of you for providing us with this scholarship during the most difficult time of our lives. I will use this scholarship in order to gain an education, with that education I will wholeheartedly serve the Armenian people, both in Armenia and in the Diaspora.”

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian American youth organization in the world, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of Armenian youth.