Often
an organization needs an event or activity to come together and realize
its true potential. Such was the case with the Armenian Students
Organization and the All-State Armenian Students Organizations Convention
held on the weekend of October 23-25. The Convention was one the
biggest events of the year for the club and it gave everyone the opportunity
to work on something truly special and important.
In March of 1981, the Fresno State ASO students decided they were going
to have a Students' Convention with the purpose of discussing, learning,
and socializing. They held one and it was a huge accomplishment.
Unfortunately a tradition was not formed and there had not been anything
like it until now. Since there was no recent example to follow, the
organizing of the convention necessitated creativity and lots of input
by the students. For hours, members sat around and brainstormed on
what students today are interested in.
This type of intense planning and involvement brought everyone closer together.
Everyone had his or her part in hosting the big event. That gave
each individual a sense of ownership and responsibility. There are
an enormous amount of things that need to be done for putting together
such an activity. Everything from the registration of participants
to the preparation for the Saturday night dance. So if each person
can do their little part, everything can be done. For the most
part, that was the case.
The end result of an endeavor like this has many parts to it. The
contacts established, the information learned, and the fun memories are
all results of the Convention. An unnoticed outcome of the convention
was the bond that was formed between the members of our ASO. The
Convention signified the coming together and maturation of the ASO and
in the long run is a building block for bigger and better events such as
this one.