WINCHESTER, Mass. — The Armenian International Women’s Association (AIWA) program, “An Evening with Joan Agajanian Quinn” on October 28, at the home of Raffi and Nina Festekjian, presented an occasion to hear from the noted art collector, as she was interviewed by her daughter, Amanda Quinn Olivar, about her fascinating role in the nascent West Coast art world in the 1960s.
The event also raised funds for the various scholarships that AIWA awards annually.
Vice President of the AIWA Central Board Zela Astarjian got the program started by speaking about the goals of the organization for women globally, including health and wellness, economic improvement and education. She explained that as part of the health and wellness, AIWA is focusing on among other things, domestic violence, and sponsoring the work of the Women’s Support Center in Armenia.
AIWA has handed out 58 scholarships for a total of $80,000 for the 2022-23 academic year, she said.
Among those who have established scholarships was Chris Aharonian, who established a scholarship for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), in the name of her mother, Lucy Kasparian Aharonian. Through AIWA, Aharonian hands out three $1,000 scholarships annually.
One of the newer scholarships was by Dr. Patti Fletcher, who dedicated the Arshalous Tashjian Medzorian scholarship, named in honor of her grandmother, in partnership with AIWA. She explained that her grandmother, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, “ lost agency of her own life and instilled in us the importance of education.” The scholarships will be given to women 30 and over, a group that she said was not typically able to enjoy scholarships.