Club brings together USU's Armenian students
Reprinted with permission of
The Herald Journal, Bridgerland Edition: "Neighbors from Afar"
By Kim Burgess
Whenever Anush Safaryan feels homesick, she looks at the mountains that frame Cache Valley, a landscape that is remarkably similar to her native country, Armenia.
These reminders of home are comforting for the international business major, who arrived at Utah State University in January thanks to a full scholarship from entrepreneur and philanthropist Jon. M. Huntsman.
So far, Safaryan says she’s felt a bit of culture shock and has missed some of her favorite foods—kabobs and stuffed grape leaves called dolmades—but she’s doing fine with a little help from her friends.
Ten other Armenians came to USU with her, and while the group is spread among a variety of majors, they all live in the same student housing complex and spend much of their time together.
Plus the newcomers are benefitting from the guidance of 13 of their countrymen who have been at USU since 2007, shortly after Huntsman donated $1 million to fund their studies and another $25 million for the school of business that now bears his name.
Gagik Melikyan, a junior in political science who came with that first group, says he gives the newcomers tips on American culture and practical advice like reminding them that the bus system in Logan shuts down relatively early.
“You have to remember so you don’t get stuck in town,” he explains.
The students are also connecting to the larger Cache Valley community through an Armenian Student Association service club that Melikyan founded in September 2009.
Ten projects have been completed so far, including work on the Whittier Center’s Adventure Playground and cleaning the Spectrum as part of a fundraiser for the USU Center for Persons with Disabilities.
Other efforts have focused on alleviating poverty in Armenia, which is still reeling from a 1988 earthquake that killed at least 25,000 people.
Milikyan explains that some people in the hardest hit region are still living in trailers with little protection from the elements. As a result, a 3-year-old girl recently froze to death.
To help, ASA raised money to buy a low-income family warm clothes, medications and wodd for the whole winter. The students also convinced the USU bookstore to donate hundreds of Aggie T-shirts to an Armenian orphanage.
The process had been rewarding, Melikyan says.
“It’s about sharing our blessings,” he adds. “We can all do small things and it adds up.”
Mikayel Khachatryan,a senior in business, cites Huntsman as the club’s inspiration.
The multi-millionaire, who made a fortune in the chemical industry, brought aid to Armenia shortly after the earthquake and forged a strong relationship with the local people, visiting dozens of times over the years.
“He did a lot of incredible things,” Khachatryan says. “We want to follow his example and set and example for other students.”
Melikyan offers this quote from Huntsman, which he says is one of his guding principles: “Life is not fair, but we must be fair.”
That attitude has impressed many at USU.
“It has been obvious, from the first time I met the students from Armenia, that they not only have a deep love and respect for Mr. Huntsman and his family, but they have caught his vision of philanthropy,” says Troy Oldham, Executive Director of Marketing and Branding at the Huntsman School of Business. “I think the most exciting part of their story is twofold: they recognize and are genuinely grateful for opportunity to come to USU for an education, and they show commitment and sense of purpose in finding ways to continue the cycle of giving.”
Shelly Hernandez, program coordinator at the Office of International Students and Scholars, adds that she is amazed by the students’ ability to get involved despite being in the US a relatively short time.
“They don’t just stay with their group,” she explains.
Huntsman himself had kind words for the group.
“I am humbled that they would think of me that way,” he says when told that his works motivated the students’ service.
While Melikyan and Khachatryan will graduate from USU soon and return to Armenia, both hope that ASA will keep going long into the future.
Safaryan and several other members of the new group say they are eager to be involved.
“I want t o do more with them,” explains biology major Gayane Ghazaryan. “I am just getting started.”
