GLENDALE—The Committee for Armenian Student in Public Schools held its fourth annual half-day Leadership Conference, “Connecting to Your Community,” on Saturday, March 26 at the offices of the Western Prelacy in La Crescenta. More than 75 Glendale Unified School District Armenian students with grade point averages of 3.5 or higher attended the conference.
The purpose of the gathering was to impart the importance of leadership in the future professional and personal lives of these bright students.
At the outset, Executive Director Arsineh H. Hovannisian invited CASPS Board Member Medea Kalognomos to give her welcoming remarks and invite His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy for his invocation and blessing.
CASPS Board Member Laura Atoian then introduced an activity called Concentric Circles, during which students from the four high schools became acquainted by asking a wide range of interesting questions about each other.
The first panel included Dr. Katherine Fundukian-Thorossian, GUSD Assistant Superintendent; Dr. Marina Voskanian, a petroleum engineer; Baytsar Thomassian, Senior Field Representative for State Senator Kevin de Leon; and Mary Apick, actress and womens’ rights activist. They each discussed their thoughts on leadership qualities and styles and highlighted their personal stories and challenges. The panelists stressed the importance of giving back to the community, getting involved and making a difference.
After a short break, Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian took center stage and shared his childhood experiences about growing up in the United States and his path to various leadership positions. He was followed by Armen Martin, a prominent attorney, who advised the students to follow their passion, work hard and keep the Armenian-American identity strong.
During lunch, Vache Thomassian, on behalf of the Armenian Youth Federation, spoke about internship opportunities while Jano Boghossian from the UCLA Armenian Students Association discussed volunteerism at the college level.
The event was a resounding success. Participating Glendale High School students noted in a subsequent letter of gratitude to CASPS: “We have a responsibility as Armenians to give back to our community. We are ready to fulfill those leadership roles to better our community.”
The student participants who maintain a high academic standing will be invited to an awards reception in May. CASPS is honored to serve such outstanding students. They make our community proud.
If you’d like more information about CASPS’ upcoming Cinco de Mayo and Mothers’ Day Celebration on Thursday, May 5 featuring Salsa Night with Emilio Rivas, please contact Laura at (818) 222-7170 or Arsineh at (310) 780-4222. Join the fun and help support students in local public schools
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Hye, so proud to read of the outstanding academic and awards reception… Proud you are Armenians, and proud of you as Americans. My best wishes for your continued successes, in schools, in life. Abreek!!