ARMONK, N.Y. — Once again, for the 12th year, outstanding students from the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s Sts. Tarkmanchatz School (http://ststarkmanchatz.org/) joined their counterparts at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary. This year, the St. Nersess Summer Conferences for youth, afforded four Jerusalem students unique opportunities to interact with their Armenian-American peers, strengthen their Christian faith, and experience the special New York environs and flavor.
This project was initiated by Rev. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and has been realized by contributions from donors. This year, the main benefactors of the project were Russell and Susan Kashian (Muskege, WI), with support by George and Lorraine Marootian (Franklin Lakes, NJ), Vicken and Rosette Arslanian (Englewood, NJ), Joseph and Kristine Casali (Ramsey, NJ), Gregory and Meline Toufayan (Saddle River, NJ), Glen and Kristin Dabaghian (Ramsey, NJ), and Keith and Karyn Bilezerian (Wrentham, Mass.).
The four exceptional students included 17-year-olds Ike Demirjian, Hagop Hagopian, Sevana Hekimian, and 15-year-old Serena Karin Bush, all of whom praised their student life at Sts. Tarkmanchatz and its principal, the Very Rev. Norayr Kazazian.
Several comments about Kazazian reflected the love and admiration they felt for him and his leadership of the school which Ike called “very supportive.” He was praised for advancing the school’s its educational programs and its facilities, and for being “close, friendly, kind, caring and principled” with the students. “Sts. Tarkmanchatz has been a beautiful flower in our lives,” declared Hekimian.
Ike Demirjian, who grew up in Tel Aviv and moved to Jerusalem two years ago with his family, said he “loves Jerusalem and Sts. Tarkmanchatz” where he has served a Student Council president, and started a basketball team which he coaches. He has decided to study either engineering “because I love making things and am very creative,” or medicine “in order to help people.”
Born in Jerusalem, Hagop Hagopian comes from a family of Genocide survivors. His paternal grandmother escaped from Eskishehie and his maternal grandparents from Marash. He sees medicine as his future work. He plans to stay in Jerusalem, attend Hebrew University, then go to the Medical University in Yerevan. Having family in Armenia, and a sister studying medicine there, he has visited Armenia nine times, and especially loves Artsakh, “its nature, endless green mountains and its weather.”
