This is the prize-winning essay submitted by scholarship applicants to the Armenian Renaissance Association Sophia Chapter of Greater Detroit in the past year.

To be Armenian, an individual must encompass more than an Armenian parent, or even two Armenian parents. To be Armenian means to be indulged by Armenian heritage and culture. I feel fortunate to have learned what this means at a young age. I began to perpetuate my Armenian heritage and culture ever since I was able to understand what an Armenian is.

An Armenian is not just someone born to Armenian parents. An Armenian is someone who is educated about their ancestry; someone who is dedicated to bettering the lives of other Armenians; someone who is proud of their heritage and culture; someone who speaks, reads, and writes Armenian. An Armenian is someone who knows the value of their heritage, and embraces their culture; someone who perpetuates their heritage and culture. This is the type of Armenian that I am.

I began embracing my heritage and culture before I was old enough to realize it. It began when I spoke my first words. I did not utter my first few words or phrases in English; instead I began to talk in my mother language, in Armenian. This embracement continued by attending an Armenian school for the first eight years of my life. This is where I learned to read and write Armenian, and where I learned the struggles and triumphs of my Armenian ancestors who came before me. Simultaneously, this is when I enrolled in Church School. There I learned the importance of religion to the Armenian people, since Armenians were in fact the first nation to adopt Christianity.

Once I was old enough to make decisions on my own, I chose to follow the path that my parents had begun to lay before me. I chose to continue to embrace my heritage and culture, not because I felt forced to, but because I wanted to out of love for my background. At the middle-school age, I joined the Armenian Church Youth Organization Juniors, as an active member. That allowed me to remain active in the Armenian community while also giving back to the community. The last two years, as a member of the ACYO Juniors, I was elected chairman. For those two years I proudly served as the leader of our organization, and worked to keep other youths like myself active in the community, and to make the youth aware of where they came from.

Once my time with the ACYO Juniors ran out, I moved on to the ACYOA Seniors group. I remained an active member throughout my college years, and until today. The last year, I have been serving as the secretary to the group. I also served as a delegate from Detroit at the National General Assembly, held annually at the beginning of each ACYOA Sports Weekend.

I continue to perpetuate my culture and heritage by involving myself with the Armenian community as much as possible. My closest network of friends consists primarily of my Armenian peers. I also attend functions such as the Armenian Youth Federation Senior Olympics. Other examples of this perpetuation, in a non-social setting, include numerous hours of research on the Armenian Genocide, as well as preaching to others about what the Armenian people have suffered. As a true Armenian, I am proud of my heritage and culture, and willingly embrace them. I love who I am, and I am grateful to those who have come before me. This is why I chose to perpetuate my background. Someday I hope I can pass this gift on to my children as well.

Farmington Hills, MI