AUA Receives First Place Award in USAID/ASHA Annual Conference Photo Contest

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YEREVAN, Armenia – The American University of Armenia (AUA) is very pleased to share that it has won First Place in the 2015 annual conference photo contest of the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA), a program of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The winning photo, taken by photographer Suren Manvelyan, features a young boy in AUA’s AGBU Papazian Library who was invited to the university to explore the state-of-the-art facilities made possible by USAID/ASHA.

The annual contest features both a photo and story component which aims to showcase the personal and meaningful impact that USAID/ASHA grants have made on their recipients and which represent themes that are in line with USAID/ASHA’s organizational mission. Topics for this year’s contest included Public Diplomacy, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Community Inclusion, Innovation, and Organizational Strengthening.

In addition to photographs, AUA submitted two stories to the contest, focusing on the expansion of the AGBU Papazian Library and the increased services available to the community at large, as well as focusing on the growth of AUA’s international student body in large part thanks to the university’s state-of-the-art facilities that are attracting students from around the world.

Winners were announced at USAID/ASHA’s 2015 Annual Conference reception and will be included in the next annual report and highlighted on USAID/ASHA’s website and social media.

Over the past two decades, AUA has received over $11 million in USAID/ASHA grants and the university community is grateful to USAID/ASHA for its continuous support to AUA in upgrading its facilities. The AGBU Papazian Library renovation, creation of integrated technology classrooms, upgrade of equipment for academic and administrative offices, and replacement of windows and the 40-year old elevators in the Main Building are some of the recently completed projects that have resulted from USAID/ASHA grants, while several projects are still in process, including the Innovation and Technology Incubation Center that will be built at AUA.

ASHA provides assistance to schools, libraries, and medical centers outside the United States that serve as study and demonstration centers for American ideas and practices. ASHA’s grants help these institutions train future leaders in a wide variety of disciplines, support local and regional infrastructure to foster development, and cultivate positive relationships and mutual understanding among citizens of the United States and other nations.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.