BY CATHERINE YESAYAN
The Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Armenian International Women’s Association, on International Women’s Day organized a luncheon reception in the consulate’s backyard to honor a few deserving women.
Among the honorees was Dr. Ellie Andreassian, who volunteers as Curriculum Director and Education Council Chairperson for the Saturday Schools of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of North America.
The information shared about Dr. Andreassian at the event prompted me to learn more about her work. I scheduled an appointment to meet with her at her home in Glendale.
Upon arriving at her residence, she greeted me outside and invited me in. The living room, where she ushered me through, had a typical Armenian setup of traditional style furnishing.
In a corner of her living room sat a mahogany side table, with meticulously arranged memorabilia, which caught my eyes. I inquired about the items on the table, to which she replied, “These items hold great significance for me.”
First, there was a framed photo of three joyous women in graduation garb. Dr. Andreassian explained that, on the day that photo was taken, she had received her doctorate degree. Her two daughters had also just graduated — one with a master’s degree and the other with a bachelor’s degree — making it a particularly joyous occasion.
Next, there was a framed photo of Dr. Andreassian with our renowned William Saroyan during his visit to Boston in the early 1980s.
As I continued to scan the table, I noticed there was a framed Armenian letter “է,” which symbolizes the holy presence of God in the Armenian Orthodox Church. This one, according to Dr. Andreassian. was a gift from Western Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, recognizing her selfless dedication to advancing and supporting Saturday Language schools in the United States.
After sharing a cup of Armenian coffee and some pastries, our conversation began. Dr. Andreassian — Elizabeth Andreassian — was born in Baalbek, Lebanon, where her father was a well-known and respected dentist, as well as an AGBU representative in the community.
Before continuing, I’d like to share a historical fact about the repatriation movement of Armenians worldwide. In 1945, after WWII, Stalin’s decree authorized Armenians to return to their homeland, leading to significant repatriation movements from Armenian diasporan communities in countries like the United States, France, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, among others, . In just three years, between 1946 and 1949, over 100,000 Armenians resettled in Soviet Armenia.
It was Dr. Andreassian’s father’s wish to raise and educate his children in their homeland. So, her family, like many other Armenians who decided to leave everything behind in hopes of a brighter future, made their way to Armenia. At the time, she was six years old, and was subsequently raised in Yerevan.
Upon graduating from school, she married Ara Andreassian, a scientist-agronomist, who she raised two daughters with. During the early years of her marriage, Dr. Andreassian attended Brusov University of Russian and Foreign Languages in Yerevan.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she taught French language and literature at the same university until around 1974, when she, along with her husband and daughters, immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Rhode Island.
Initially, Dr. Andreassian worked as a Foreign Student Advisor at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. Additionally, she volunteered to teach children Armenian language and culture at the Sts. Sahag & Mesrob Armenian Church’s Saturday School.
Around the same time, Dr. Andreassian also volunteered to teach Armenian history and culture at AGBU Armenian School and community in Watertown, Massachusetts. In 1977, she was hired as the principal of the AGBU in Boston, where she served until 1991. During that period, she also served as the visiting principal of Toronto’s AGBU Zaroukian school.
In 1978, Dr. Andreassian earned her master’s degree in French Literature and Art from Rhode Island College, followed by a Doctor of Education degree from Boston University in 1990.
In 1991, the Andreassian family decided to move to Los Angeles, California. There, Dr. Andreassian served as the vice principal and curriculum director of AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park from 1991 to 2011.
For 35 years, Dr. Andreassian served as principal and vice principal of AGBU schools in Boston, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
After retiring, the Western Diocese of the Armenian church invited her to become the curriculum director of all Armenian Saturday language schools in the Western U.S.
The Western Diocese has 21 Armenian language Saturday Schools. The schools are located throughout California, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
Recently, Archbishop Derderian established a partnership between all Saturday Armenian language schools, from the West to East Coast.
According to Dr. Andreassian, the curriculum is based on approved methods of teaching and guided by American standards.
Dr. Andreassian has put two years of work into creating a methodological curriculum to teach the Armenian language.
Since 2001, she has served as a Visiting Committee Member for the Western Accreditation of Schools and Colleges.
Dr. Andreassian has been awarded the Sahag Mesrob Award from Catholicos Karekin II and the Gold Medal form the Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia.
She is a member of the AGBU, the Armenian International Women’s Association, and AGBU Hye Geen.
Catherine Yesayan is a regular contributor to Asbarez, with her columns appearing under the “Community Links” heading. She can be reached at cyesayan@gmail.com.
