Valley’s Armenian Student Association takes home quiz bowl trophy

Armenian students represented the college in the All-ASA quiz bowl, and their win holds a place in history.

By Cassandra Nava, Editor-in-Chief

Gagik Hovhannisyan, Kristin Yegoyan, Hayk Harutyunyan, Anna Ramazyan, Sargis Hovhannisyan, Arsine Majnunyan and Ani Ramazyan celebrate their win outside of UCLA’s Royce Hall on May 7. (Photo courtesy of Anna Ramazyan)

Valley College’s Armenian Student Association took the first place trophy in the All-ASA quiz bowl earlier this month, becoming the first community college to ever win.

Founder and President Anna Ramazyan formed the club of about 30 students last fall to inform them on the culture and history of her country of origin. Ramazyan came to the U.S. only three years ago, as a junior in high school. Her passion for Armenian history proved useful in preparing her teammates for the quiz bowl.

Edging out UCLA after being tied in the final question, five Monarchs won the trivia-style quiz bowl. Gagik Hovhannisyan, Hayk Harutyunyan, Sargis Hovhannisyan, Arsine Majnunyan and Ani Ramazyan represented Valley in the event. Questions involved American politics and history, but had a focus on Armenian history, politics, current events, art and traditions. As a committee member of All-ASA, the larger organization that allows students to create associations across various campuses, Ramazyan was selected to ask her teammates the questions for the quiz bowl.

For the tiebreaker question, only one participant from Valley and UCLA’s team had an opportunity to answer correctly. Ramazyan credits the win to Majnunyan, who not only succeeded under the pressure, but was an active member throughout the quiz bowl.

“I would say due to her, we won,” said the president of the association, “but all of them were very involved. So if we missed just one of the members, we wouldn't have won.”

Since the inception of the ASA quiz bowl in 2013, only University of California campuses have won. With Ramazyan and her team’s victory, the association will host next year’s event at Valley.

The goal of Valley’s Armenian student association is to encourage all students to learn about the complex history of the country, along with its cultural significance. Members can take advantage of networking opportunities, as Ramazyan frequently schedules guest speakers who have career paths aligning with student goals.

“We have a network with universities that give us a chance to have discussions and experiences to help students be involved,” said the biology and anthropology double major.

Because they hosted more events than any other chartered club, the ASU awarded the Armenian Student Association with a $300 prize.

“I have an opportunity to share my knowledge with students. I want students to be informed about us, especially since there are so many of us in this area,” said Ramazyan.