BOSTON — Twenty-five years ago, a group of Armenian-American women in Greater Boston came together to form a new and independent organization, the Armenian International Women’s Association (AIWA), with the goal of uniting Armenian women and addressing the critical issues facing them everywhere.
To celebrate these first twenty-five years, AIWA is finalizing plans for an Anniversary Celebration Weekend on September 30 to October 2 at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass., on the theme of “Inspiring Our Future, Honoring Our Past.”
Under the leadership of the co-chairs Carolyn Atinizian Yardemian (East Coast) and Silva Katchiguian (West Coast), a two-day conference on Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1 will focus on “Women in Leadership: Challenges and Opportunities.” During sessions on Women in Public Service, Women in Arts and Entertainment, Women in Science and Technology, Women in Business and Entrepreneurship, and Cultural Identity, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in panel discussions with national and international speakers, network, and connect with others.
The highlight of the weekend will be the Gala Anniversary Celebration on Saturday evening, October 1, at the Charles Hotel, with a cocktail reception, dinner and dancing.
“Our Gala dinner on Saturday evening will be an exciting event, with an outstanding program. In the course of the festivities, achievement awards will be presented to extraordinary women and guests from all parts of the world will be coming together to join the celebration,” said Yardemian. “An opportunity not to be missed, this special evening will endure in our memories and those of our families forever.”
Special guests participating in the weekend activities include Katherine Sarafian, a producer at Pixar Film Studios, who won an Oscar for her film “Brave”; Mary Lou Papazian, director of the Tumo Center for Creative Technology in Yerevan; Dr. Carla Garabedian, documentary filmmaker, writer, and broadcaster; Nicole Vartanian, director of the Children of Armenia Fund; and Maro Matosian, director of the Women’s Support Center in Yerevan. Two parliamentarians have been invited: Selina Dogan, of the National Assembly of Turkey, and Valerie Boyer, deputy in the National Assembly of France.