AUA Participates in Flower Gathering at Armenian Genocide Memorial

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YEREVAN, Armenia — Since 2010, a meaningful tradition has blossomed at the Armenian Genocide Memorial. Each year, the flowers laid in solemn remembrance of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide are carefully collected and their petals and stems are separated. 

In a beautiful act of renewal and respect, these stems are then transformed into compost, nurturing the earth. The petals find new purpose, reborn as materials for crafting paper, illuminating candles, and more. 

Each year, a dedicated cohort of volunteers from the American University of Armenia (AUA) participates in this profound tradition. In 2024, the Student-Faculty Collaboration Committee took the helm, organizing a diverse team of around 50 students, faculty, staff, and extended AUA family and friends to volunteer.

The AUA team went to Tsitsernakaberd, united in purpose to partake in the revered Flower Gathering ceremony. Embracing an environmental mission that honors both the past and the future, the Flower Gathering is a testament to resilience, ensuring that from grief arises growth, and from loss emerges life.

The Armenian Genocide stands as a harrowing testament to human suffering and resilience. From 1915 to 1923, amidst the turmoil of World War I, the Ottoman Empire systematically targeted and massacred 1.5 million Armenians, alongside other Christian minorities. Driven by a toxic blend of religious intolerance, ethnic hatred, and political ambition, this campaign of annihilation left indelible scars on the Armenian people and the global conscience. Despite enduring unimaginable horrors, Armenians have advocated for recognition, justice, and remembrance, ensuring that the memory of those lost remains alive in history as a reminder of humanity’s capacity for both cruelty and courage.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.