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Michelle Hagopian

Michelle Hagopian

Michelle Hagopian is the chairwoman of AYF-YOARF Central Executive. She has served as the executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, Eastern Region.

12 Comments

  1. How much more can we take of the “first time I saw Ararat” narrative? Why does our Diaspora press keep publishing these articles?
    Now, 22 years after independence, when members of the Diaspora travel here, we want to hear stories like:
    1) the first time I met Sona Ayvazyan and learned more about her work fighting corruption and demanding greater transparency and accountability
    2) the first time I met journalist Tsovinar Nazaryan and heard her brother Artak’s story which inspired me to join her fight to uncover abuse in Armenia’s military
    3) the first time I met lawyer Artur Grigoryan or journalist Anna Shahnazaryan and understood what it means to protect our pristine forests and demand that big mining companies do business responsibly
    4) the first time I met women’s rights advocate Lara Aharonian and discussed domestic violence legislation and the challenges faced by Armenia’s women
    5) the first time I met Sarhat Petrosyan and learned more about the destruction of historical buildings and illegal construction in Yerevan
    6) the first time I met lawyer Vahe Grigoryan and learned about the six months he sat in jail on trumped up charges because he chose to take cases to protect the property rights of Northern Ave. homeowners
    And the list of talented, inspiring people who can tell you great stories of courage and perseverance is endless … let’s work to change the narrative.

  2. Sara,

    There is a vast spectrum that describes where Armenians exist in regards to their Armenianness as well as activism. There is nothing wrong, and in fact much to gain, from those being drawn to Armenia if simply to see Mt. Ararat and experience Armenia for the first time. I know of very few that would go to Armenia the very first time strictly to fight the issues that exist there. For that matter, I know very few individuals anywhere in the world willing to make such a trip. But if they go once, they will want to go again and again. And each time they go, their ties to the homeland will increase. Their desire to improve the plight of those living there will increase as well.

    We tend to expect Armenians to go from 0 to 100 in half a second instead of fostering growth over long periods of time. I am not promoting a false vision of a fairyland, but at the same time neither do I want to strip the sense of awe and inner emotional links that exist among the youth of the Diaspora from years of living separated from a homeland they still take pride in against all the overwhelming odds of assimilation.

    George Aghjayan

  3. Sara, makes great points. I want to read articles like the ones she suggests. Editor, please give us more of these. But…Ms. Hagopian is no less entitled to write about her “first time I saw Mt. Ararat” experience. I enjoyed it.

  4. I must say I agree with Sarah

    I don’t the narrative expressed by the woman who wrote the article, as it pretty much describes the emotions of every Diaspora member’s first visit to Armenia, but its been twenty years already, its not like this is newsworthy. Why doesn’t ArmenianWeekly/Azbarez focus on real issues in Armenia, so that the Diaspora can have a more mitigated view that isn’t just about the first time they saw Ararat, but also about the business dealings of the President/ Catholicos…This is how Serj Sargsyan dupes Diaspora Representatives into believing the whole “Armenia is a stable democracy in the region, and though there are problems, Serj Sargsyan is doing everything he can to make things better” – Sargsyan and his cronies have learned how to deal with the Naive diaspora representatives..a nice smile, a “we are building a country together” speech, and voila, a cheque in his pocket.

  5. Good points about allowing for the magic of the place to set in. Still I would like to offer Ms. Hagopian the opportunity to experience a deeper sense of awe which comes with building relationships with the human beings doing truly heroic work here.

  6. Thank you for your comments. To clarify, I do not think any Armenian who is visiting Armenia for the first time should be criticized for writing about his or her experience and the awe one feels for that first experience. It’s irreplaceable.

    If you continue to read this blog you will find that I am indeed meeting the people who live in our beautiful land – they’re the ones I interact with every day with Baroness Cox. It’s a privilege to be witnessing first hand how she has impacted the lives of people here, and I am doing what I can with our group to impact them as well. My documenting the trip is only a bonus for me – to see everything and remember it forever through photography and writing is something I had always planned to do.

    I realize there are bigger issues at hand in the Diaspora and in Armenia, but we should welcome and celebrate every Armenian’s pilgrimage to the homeland every time. What’s the point in celebrating our culture if we can’t do that in addition to discussing the important issues?

    Thank you for reading.

  7. Hopefully the next time Sarah goes to Armenia – we will read articles regarding the issues she mentions. Looking forward to them. Michelle – good luck and keep up the great work.

  8. We lived for more then 40 years in the diaspora, we used to drink double black scotch, announcing “Bidi hasnink kou gadarin” while looking at the oil painting of Ararad hanging on the wall, while our people were suffering under the soviet regime. Then we moved to Armenia 15 years ago now we feel the pain and suffering of our people on our own skin but we love our lives and enjoy every minute of the struggle we go through. Diaspora will always be diaspora. In a few words “I was once a Michelle, now I am a Sara.

  9. I found Michelle’s article informative, entertaining, and extremely rewarding. I look forward to more of Michelle’s observations in the future. She sounds like a dynamic leader- a trait not limited to just Armenian organizations and/or issues.

    The content presented in Michelle’s article is consistent with community focus the Armenian Weekly has presented for decades. Yet, the Weekly has evolved in terms of content, scope, and technological access as the Armenian experience has become more enhanced, and in some cases, complicated.

    I would encourage Michelle to continue to share her experiences and let the Editor decide if it is “fit for print”. That, I assume, is the dominant complaint here and on Facebook.

Comments are closed.