Alpha Gamma Alpha: Saving One Community at a Time

By: Sarin Kodchian
Bruinsk17@ucla.edu

The UCLA Alpha Gamma Alpha (AGA) prides themselves every year by giving back to the community. More and more girls decide to join the organization to better improve leadership skills, build lasting friendships, and more importantly, to serve Armenian and non-Armenian communities. Alpha Gamma Alpha has high expectations for this school year as they have just re-launched their website and have established the first ever scholarship fund they will award to incoming students of Armenian descent.

Every April, the Armenian Community heavy-heartedly remembers their peoples’ past. We are reminded of where we came from and why we are the people that we are today. We are reminded of what holds us all together, causing us to forget about our differences and unite for a common cause, even if it is just for a day, a week, or a month.

After a week filled with commemorative events, on April 24th, a diverse group of youth came together one last time at the Troubadour for the event “Silence the Lies! Rock the Truth!” This show was put together by the UCLA AGA to commemorate the Armenian Genocide and to raise money for the Orran Benevolent Non-Governmental Organization in Armenia.

The bands that performed included Visa, The Cause, Sebu, Homemade Devices, and were not restricted to other performances by poets and musicians who wanted to take part in commemorating the Armenian Genocide and raise money for a good cause. The organizations that put the event on were K’noup Presents, Serjical Strike (System of a Down lead-singer Serj Tankian’s record label), and the UCLA AGA. The event was sponsored by the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), the Armenian National Committee (ANC), and it was even covered by the L.A. Times.

Alpha Gamma Alpha raised $1,553 in profit from the rock concert and donated 100% of it directly to the Orran Benevolent Non-Governmental Organization, an organization that helps keep the homeless and at-risk youths off the streets of Armenia by providing them with an alternate way of living. The organization works to alleviate the costs of socio-economic changes in Armenia within the last few decades, which have drastically decreased vital social services. “We wanted to do something that would not only attract the younger generations, but that would also work to benefit the Armenian community,” said Romi Mouhibian, alumna of Alpha Gamma Alpha and one of the organizers of the event.

Just a few hours after the successful event, Alpha Gamma Alpha participated in the Autism Walk the following morning at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Participation in the event was inspired by Ani Khachoyan, a former AGA sister (currently working towards her M.A. at Vanderbilt), whose involvement with Autism Awareness has been inspiring to the Armenian community for years now.

Angela Mujukian, AGA’s current Vice President, worked hard to make Autism Walk an annual tradition. “Many of our sisters, including myself, have worked with kids who have autism, and so many of our goals are to support and give back to the Autism community as much as we can,” states Mujukian.

Last year, the UCLA AGA shared a booth with the Armenian Autism Outreach Program, and this year they fingerpainted next to an organization that helps fathers cope with Autism by conducting meetings and other bonding events. By participating in an event such as this, they were able to learn and be exposed to important issues in the Autism community, while also helping out for a worthy cause.

“Many people are becoming more and more aware of this so-called disease as it does have many misleading connotations and myths. Many isolate children who have autism, viewing them as not “normal,” but in fact, this causes one to ponder as to what is considered normal and how it is truly defined. These children should not be labeled as “different” or “autistic,” but should rather be accepted as who they are in society, people like you and me,” states Mujukian.

For more information about the organization and to join AGA, please visit the website at www.agabruins.com or join the UCLA Alpha Gamma Alpha fan page on Facebook to receive more information about Rush events and pledging.