USC Armenian Students Association kicks off Heritage Month with celebration of culture and resilience

Students, faculty and community members gathered to honor Armenian history and identity.

USC’s Armenian Students Association kicked off Armenian heritage month on Tuesday afternoon with an immersive celebration of Armenian cuisine, traditional dance and live cultural performances.

The opening ceremony marked how far the event has come since its founding just three years ago. What began as a student-led initiative for visibility has grown into a campus-wide tradition supported by the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies.

“Just a few years ago, this moment did not exist,” said Lori Gaboudian, president of the Armenian Students Association. “What began as a vision rooted in the desire for recognition, visibility and belonging has now become a lasting tradition on this campus.”

The third annual event brought together students, faculty, and community members to celebrate Armenian identity and culture. The opening ceremony at Hahn Plaza highlighted the importance of preserving Armenian tradition, particularly in Los Angeles.

Armenian Heritage Month is observed in April and coincides with the remembrance of the 1915 Armenian genocide which resulted in 1.5 million deaths in the Ottoman empire. Turkey denies the deaths of the constituted genocide, saying those killed were victims of the civil war.

The month serves as both a commemoration and an opportunity to preserve Armenian culture.

“You want to make sure that you preserve our culture, our language, our stories, our history and not just assimilate,” said Lana Tolmajian, a senior studying biomedical engineering.

Armenian Heritage Month at USC is a collaborative initiative between the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies and the Armenian Students Association, bringing together campus leadership and the Trojan community.

The Armenian Students Association is one of the largest cultural organizations on campus, with hundreds of active members and a range of social, cultural and professional programming throughout the year.

The program featured university leadership guest speakers including remarks from USC Provost Andrew T. Guzman, student leaders and representatives from the Institute of Armenian Studies.

Throughout the event, student organizers emphasized that Armenian Heritage Month is not only a celebration, but also an opportunity to raise awareness.

“I think it’s even more important that we continue to spread awareness,” Tolmajian said, referencing the 2023 displacement of Armenians in Artsakh. “Over 100,000 Armenians had to leave their homes… and even today, we’re still facing discrimination and conflict.”

Los Angeles County is home to the largest Armenian population in the United States, and attendees said growing up in the region shaped their connection to Armenian culture.

“There was such an Armenian presence around me at all times,” Tolmajian said. “It always reminded me how important it is to stay true to my culture, keep my stories, keep my language and continue practicing it.”

The USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies, founded 20 years ago, plays a key role in promoting Armenian scholarship and engagement on campus.

The institute focuses on contemporary Armenian issues, connecting historical scholarship with present-day experiences through research, public programming and student opportunities.

Margarita Baghdasaryan, associate director of the institute, said its mission is “not simply to examine the Armenian experience, but to rethink how it is studied, thought and shared.”

Baghdasaryan added that students encounter Armenian studies as “something alive” through courses, student-worker positions, scholarships and mentorship opportunities.

“So as we celebrate Armenian history month, we are not only looking back—we are looking forward,” Baghdasaryan said. “Forward to new questions, new voices and new ways of connecting Armenian studies to the world around us.”