The Armenian Weekly is powered by a small team, made up of a full-time editorial staff, designers, columnists, interns and contributors. In a world in which genuine community journalism from alternative media sources is increasingly hard to come by, we are deeply grateful to all those who contribute their time, energy and money to making this publication possible.
Weekly Staff
Lilly Torosyan
Editor
Lilly Torosyan is editor of the Armenian Weekly and a member of the Armenian Nutmegger community. (That’s Connecticut nutmegs by way of Sasun walnuts). Her writing focuses on the confluence of identity, cultural continuity and language – especially within the global Armenian communities. She previously served as the assistant project manager at h-pem, an Armenian cultural platform launched by the Hamazkayin Central Executive Board, and a freelance writer in Armenia.
Latest posts by Lilly Torosyan (see all)
- Akh parig, Hrant - January 19, 2025
- After the fire, a rose - January 14, 2025
- The Region in Brief - January 2, 2025
Pauline Getzoyan
Special Issues Editor
Pauline Getzoyan is the former editor of the Armenian Weekly and an active member of the Rhode Island Armenian community. A longtime member of the Providence ARF and ARS, she also is a former member of the ARS Central Executive Board. An advocate for genocide education, Pauline is the chair of the RI Holocaust & Genocide Education Commission and co-chair of the RI branch of The Genocide Education Project. In addition, she has been an adjunct instructor in the English department at the Community College of Rhode Island since 2005.
Latest posts by Pauline Getzoyan (see all)
- Rhode Island Senator David Tikoian named Majority Whip - January 10, 2025
- Five unforgettable years - December 18, 2024
- Introducing The Armenian Weekly’s special anniversary magazine - November 20, 2024
Lillian Avedian
Assistant editor
Lillian Avedian is the assistant editor of the Armenian Weekly. She reports on international women's rights, South Caucasus politics, and diasporic identity. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Democracy in Exile, and Girls on Key Press. She holds master's degrees in journalism and Near Eastern studies from New York University.
Latest posts by Lillian Avedian (see all)
- Armenians rally for relief efforts as wildfires devastate Los Angeles - January 10, 2025
- Jason Takhtadjian named to Central California’s 40 under 40 Class of 2024 - December 10, 2024
- My Sweet Land team determined to reach global audiences - November 20, 2024
Nanar Avedessian
Print Layout Designer
Nanar Avedessian is a Syrian Armenian, who graduated with a master’s degree in public relations from Emerson College. She moved to Armenia in 2014, where she pursued her BA in English and communications with a minor in human rights and genocide studies. She is the print layout designer of the Armenian Weekly and a member of the AYF Greater Boston “Nejdeh” Chapter.
Latest posts by Nanar Avedessian (see all)
- “Preserving and cherishing the heritage” at Camp Javakhk - August 23, 2023
- “A Temporary Antidote”: Joining the Fight from Afar - May 11, 2022
Columnists
Stepan Piligian
Columnist
Stepan Piligian was raised in the Armenian community of Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, at the St. Gregory Parish. A former member of the AYF Central Executive, he is active in the Armenian community. Currently, he serves on the board of the Armenian Heritage Foundation. Stepan is a retired executive in the computer storage industry and resides in the Boston area with his wife Susan. He has spent many years as a volunteer teacher of Armenian history and contemporary issues to the young generation and adults at schools, camps and churches. His interests include the Armenian diaspora, Armenia, sports and reading.
Latest posts by Stepan Piligian (see all)
- Standing with those who served the nation - January 28, 2025
- We wait for change while experiencing decline - January 21, 2025
- Our biggest challenge in the diaspora? - January 15, 2025
Harut Sassounian
California Courier Editor
Harut Sassounian is the publisher of The California Courier, a weekly newspaper based in Glendale, Calif. He is the president of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization that has donated to Armenia and Artsakh one billion dollars of humanitarian aid, mostly medicines, since 1989 (including its predecessor, the United Armenian Fund). He has been decorated by the presidents of Armenia and Artsakh and the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Latest posts by Harut Sassounian (see all)
- Pashinyan again makes anti-Armenia and anti-Diaspora statements - January 28, 2025
- Lobbyist for genocide denialist Turkey should donate earnings to Armenians - January 21, 2025
- Aliyev the wolf vs. Pashinyan the lamb: It is clear who will devour whom - January 14, 2025
Garen Yegparian
Asbarez Columnist
Garen Yegparian is a fat, bald guy who has too much to say and do for his own good. So, you know he loves mouthing off weekly about anything he damn well pleases to write about that he can remotely tie in to things Armenian. He's got a checkered past: principal of an Armenian school, project manager on a housing development, ANC-WR Executive Director, AYF Field worker (again on the left coast), Operations Director for a telecom startup, and a City of LA employee most recently (in three different departments so far). Plus, he's got delusions of breaking into electoral politics, meanwhile participating in other aspects of it and making sure to stay in trouble. His is a weekly column that appears originally in Asbarez, but has been republished to the Armenian Weekly for many years.
Latest posts by Garen Yegparian (see all)
- Thank You, Martin - January 21, 2025
- O.E. + R.o.T. = Continuity - November 20, 2024
- Armenia without Armenians - November 12, 2024
Yeghia Tashjian
Yeghia Tashjian is the Issam Fares Institute Public Policy and International Affairs-American University of Beirut’s Regional and International Affairs Cluster Coordinator. He holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and International Affairs from the American University of Beirut and completed the "Strategic Leadership in Global Societal Security Program" at the Swedish Defense University in 2022. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Haigazian University in 2013 and has worked in the university's Armenian Diaspora Research Center between 2016-2017. Yeghia's master’s thesis focused on China's geopolitical and energy security interests in Iran and the Persian Gulf. Currently, Tashjian is engaged in research on the phenomenon of Turkish-Russian 'co-opetition' in the MENA+ Caucasus region and Russia's involvement in the International North-South Transport Corridor. He contributes to various local and regional newspapers, has presented various topics from minority rights to regional security issues, and is a part-time instructor in the Department of Political Studies and Public Administration at the American University of Beirut.
Latest posts by Yeghia Tashjian (see all)
- A reflection on Armenia’s Foreign Intelligence Service annual report - January 28, 2025
- The U.S.-Armenia Strategic Partnership Charter: What to expect next? - January 21, 2025
- Turkey’s ‘golden era’ in Central Asia and the future of the Organization of Turkic States - December 31, 2024
Melody Seraydarian
Melody Seraydarian is a journalist and undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a degree in Media Studies with a concentration in media, law and policy. Her column, "Hye Key," covers politics, culture and everything in between from a Gen-Z perspective. She is from Los Angeles, California and is an active member of her local Armenian community.
Latest posts by Melody Seraydarian (see all)
- “Whatever Dreams They Had” tells the tale of extraordinary Armenian Catholic priest - September 24, 2024
- At an Azerbaijani youth summer camp, irredentist propaganda runs rampant - August 27, 2024
- Texas A&M University receives $5 million to study brucellosis in Armenia - July 24, 2024
Milena Baghdasaryan
Milena Baghdasaryan is a graduate from UWC Changshu China. Since the age of 11, she has been writing articles for a local newspaper named Kanch ('Call'). At the age of 18, she published her first novel on Granish.org and created her own blog, Taghandi Hetqerov ('In the Pursuit of Talent')—a portal devoted to interviewing young and talented Armenians all around the world. Baghdasaryan considers storytelling, traveling and learning new languages to be critical in helping one explore the world, connect with others, and discover oneself. After completing her bachelor's degree in Film and New Media at New York University in Abu Dhabi, Milena is currently enrolled in an advanced Master of Arts program in European Interdisciplinary Studies at the College of Europe in Natolin.
Latest posts by Milena Baghdasaryan (see all)
- Meet the founder of the top modern Armenian-Arabic cuisine in Dubai - January 14, 2025
- Armenia and the UAE: Opportunity or missed potential? - January 7, 2025
- Meet Araksya Melikyan, 2024 Best Actress award winner - December 10, 2024
Victoria Atamian Waterman
Victoria Atamian Waterman is a writer born in Rhode Island. Growing up in an immigrant, bilingual, multi-generational home with survivors of the Armenian Genocide has shaped the storyteller she has become. She is a trustee of Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church and chair of the Armenian Heritage Monument in Whitinsville, MA. She is the author of "Who She Left Behind."
Latest posts by Victoria Atamian Waterman (see all)
- Beauty held in the eyes of an orphaned boy - January 14, 2025
- Armenian monument exploration for new year and bucket list goals - December 16, 2024
- Dedication and blessing of the new Armenian Heritage Monument in Whitinsville, Massachusetts - November 20, 2024
Jason Takhtadjian
Jason Takhtadjian is an evening reporter at CBS47/KSEE24 in Fresno, California. Takhtadjian began college pursuing mechanical engineering with a focus on aerospace until deciding to pursue a sports broadcast career after one semester at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas. While at UNLV, Takhtadjian worked on his own weekly radio show/podcast covering soccer and basketball, produced his own sports debate show, was part of the university’s weekly sports show “The Rebel Report” and was the play-by-play commentator for UNLV men’s and women’s soccer and basketball, to name a few. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Jason was graduating college and had to pivot to the world of general news to land a job. This landed Jason in Sioux City, Iowa for his first TV job. For three years, Jason worked in the middle of the United States with no Armenian community. He became the senior reporter at the station, as well as the weekend anchor and producer for nearly two years. Takhtadjian accepted a reporter position in Fresno in April of 2024. The 26-year-old also works as a contributor for Armenian Sports News, the fastest growing English-based Armenian sports social media page.
Latest posts by Jason Takhtadjian (see all)
- Avand Dorian’s journey from Armenian school to USC basketball - October 30, 2024
- Greg Gazarian moves from the ski slopes to the basketball courts at CSUN - October 22, 2024
- Armenian Weekly Exclusive: An interview with Rex Kalamian - October 15, 2024