BY SEVANA KOPALIAN
A group of Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School students made their way to Singapore on March 4 to take part in the Saint Joseph’s Institute International Model United Nations. This was the first time in five years that Ferrahian students attended an international Model UN conference abroad.
The students had embarked on a journey, where they exposed themselves to various cultures and learned about many traditions. Singapore is a diverse country and is vibrant with people of many different ethnicities, which made it a great place for Ferrahian students to expand their horizons to new experiences.
Throughout the Model UN conference, Ferrahian students worked hand in hand with fellow peers from around the world. Being the only school from America in attendance, the students drew a lot of attention.
Vaughn Melkonian, a 10th grade student at Ferrahian, spoke on the unique and educational journey that they took part in. He mentioned how the Ferrahian students wanted to submerge themselves in the Singaporian culture while being educated on current and past international conflicts.
Out of the hundreds of students that attended the conference, two Ferrahian students, Rocko Virlan and Vaughn Melkonian, received prestigious awards. Virlan received the Best Judge Award, and Melkonian won the Most Passionate Delegate Award.
Throughout their trip, the students and faculty did not forget about their Armenian culture and pride, as they sought out to familiarize themselves with the Armenian community of Singapore. They visited the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator and the museum. The students were very grateful to have the opportunity to witness the many accomplishments of the Armenian diaspora.
Suzy Azaian, a student in the 11th grade, described how visiting the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church was a very proud moment, because, after the Armenian Genocide, Armenians could have simply accepted defeat, but instead they turned the situation into an opportunity by ameliorating it and diffusing Armenian culture throughout the world.
Even when they were driven out of their country, they excelled and made big impacts everywhere they went. They created little Armenias, and communities all throughout the world, despite the hardships they had to face.
Sevana Kopalian is a sophomore at Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School