CSUN’s Armenian Students Celebrate

Christine Jerian was born and raised in the United States, but, like many second-generation Armenian Americans, the La Crescenta resident said she is deeply rooted in her heritage.

The Cal State Northridge senior, along with other members of the Armenian Students Assn., showcased that heritage Wednesday at an Armenian Cultural Day, featuring traditional music and dance, food and art.

The event was a significant one for the students of Armenian descent, association members said. It served as a local celebration of Armenia’s 10th year of independence from the Soviet Union.

“Armenians are very nationalistic,” Jerian said. “Our parents raised us not to forget that we were killed and driven out from our homeland.”

The event also brought together many Armenian American students who normally find it difficult to see each other on a campus of more than 27,000 students, association members said. Armenians compose a little more than 5% of the student population.

Armenian Cultural Day was also part of the university’s weeklong effort to increase multicultural dialogue on campus. The school is currently exhibiting a monthlong Korean history display at its main library. The project’s theme is “Many journeys, one path, one America.”

Jerian, an urban studies major, said that because she is the American-born child of immigrant parents, she doesn’t pigeonhole herself to identify with a single culture.

“We all experience clashes with our parents,” she said. “It’s pretty much the same. I prefer learning about other cultures; they help me to have a better perspective.”