ANN ARBOR, Mich. — On Friday, October 22, the Armenian Students’ Cultural Association (ASCA) of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor hosted a successful networking event, its second under the “ArmenIn” name.
“ArmenIn,” a play on popular social media networking site LinkedIn, started last year with a panel discussion of area and nationwide professionals discussing their careers with students. 2021’s “ArmenIn Kickoff: Creating Connections,” on the other hand, was held as a networking mixer in downtown Ann Arbor and was co-sponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union Young Professionals (AGBU-YP) of Detroit, the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America’s (ACYOA) St. John’s-Greater Detroit chapter, and the AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School in Southfield, MI.
Approximately 50 college students and young professionals from the Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor area crowded into the event space of the Pretzel Bell restaurant/bar in downtown Ann Arbor. The “club room” environment provided a casual college-town atmosphere combined with top-notch service and cuisine that was highly conducive to the networking purpose of the gathering. Attendees were welcomed by ASCA president, Gasia Oknayan (Public Health, Class of ’22) who thanked the co-sponsoring organizations and encouraged the participants to introduce themselves to others in their respective fields.
Older members of the gathering including the AGBU YP contingent and the ACYOA, both represented by their respective board members, enthusiastically acquainted themselves with the large number of Armenian students of the University, an increasing number of which are out-of-state students, especially from Southern California.
Hors d’oeuvres were served and a cash bar was offered. Aside from covering the costs of the venue, profits from the entry fee were donated to the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF). The ASCA also hosted a tailgate party the following day for the Michigan-Northwestern football game, and for this reason, attendees from as far as Chicago were also present at the networking event.
