2019 Scholarship Winners
The California Armenian Legislative Caucus held two scholarship contests for the 2019 commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. California high school students in 9th through 12th grade were invited to participate in an essay contest and/or a visual arts contest to increase greater awareness of the Armenian Genocide.
The winners of the Visual Arts Scholarship are:
First-prize, $1,000: Joanne Wu attending Piedmont Hills High School in San Jose.
Joanne’s piece is titled “Helping Hands,” shows a young girl carrying her little brother away from fires that were common during the Armenian Genocide
Second-prize, $500: Tenny Malekian attending Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks.
Tenny’s piece is titled “Open your eyes” and is an oil painting that depicts people who have seen the Armenian genocide and people who sugarcoat the genocide to protect themselves from the painful truth.
Third-prize, $300: Anaida Haroutiunian attending Clark Magnet High School in Glendale.
Anaida’s piece is titled Family Power and is a photo of her family looking at old photo albums and retelling stories of the Armenian Genocide passed down from their grandparents.
The winners of the 5th Annual Essay Scholarship are:
First-prize, $1,000: Jonathan Eppert attending Hilltop High School in Chula Vista.
Jonathan recommended his great grandmother, Esther Mugerditchian. Esther escaped the horrors of the Armenian Genocide through a daring escape to Russia and was able to document her story in her book entitled, “From Turkish Toils.”
Second-prize, $500: Patrick Khoury attending Elise Buckingham Charter Magnet High School in Vacaville.
Patrick recommended James Bagian, a NASA astronaut and professor, for his contributions to the fields of math and science.
Third-prize, $300: Manuel Andrei Tan attending Elise Buckingham Charter Magnet High School in Vacaville.
Manuel recommended Dr. Edward Keonjian, a NASA scientist and inventor who published over 100 papers, 27 patents and served as Apollo 11’s Chief of Failure Analysis.