Astghik Bekmezyan awarded YSU Gold Medal

This year, YSU Associate Professor Astghik Bekmezyan marks her 75th birthday and the 50th anniversary of her teaching career at the university. Although Bekmezyan was not present at the ceremony, the award was accepted on her behalf by her family members: her son, Grigor Bekmezyan, Associate Professor at the YSU Chair of Civil Law of the Faculty of Law; her daughter, Alvard Semirjyan-Bekmezyan, Associate Professor at the YSU Chair of Armenian Literature and Literary Theory; and her granddaughter, Manan Semirjyan.

YSU Rector Hovhannes Hovhannisyan presented the award and congratulated Astghik Bekmezyan, asking her family members to convey the university's congratulations and best wishes to her. 

"Astghik Bekmezyan is not only one of our finest specialists, but also an irreplaceable expert in literary theory and literary studies. For more than half a century, she has educated and mentored generations of students at the Faculty of Armenian Philology, sharing her extensive knowledge of literary studies, introduction to literature and aesthetics. She enjoys the unconditional love and respect of her students. We are all impressed by her vibrant personality, which is so harmoniously combined with her professional rigor. Even when giving a failing grade, she manages to do so with such dignity, grace and aesthetic sensibility that no student can possibly take offense," said Arshaluys Galstyan, Dean of the YSU Faculty of Armenian Philology.

YSU Academic Secretary Meri Hovhannisyan, recalling her student years, said that Astghik Bekmezyan had been one of her lecturers. According to her, Bekmezyan's personality as a lecturer and the subjects she taught are fully in harmony with her character. She noted that from their very first year, Bekmezyan teaches students to recognize all manifestations of beauty and the sublime in literature, distinguished by her exceptional kindness, humanity, and professional and personal integrity.

Devoted care for every detail of university life

According to her colleagues, Astghik Bekmezyan has a deep sense of care and concern for the university. If, while walking upstairs from the first floor, she notices something that others have overlooked or considered unimportant, she always steps into an office and offers her attentive guidance: "My dear, this should have been done this way..." Her colleagues admitted that these warm and direct observations have come to serve as instructions they feel obliged to follow.

"YSU is, as sentimental as it may sound, truly a second home for my mother. Every time she comes to the university, she really is coming home. She loves her students immensely, and receives the same warmth and affection from them in return. She always says that the source of her vitality and youthfulness is her interaction with students. Despite all this, she has always managed to organize everything and be fully present in our family life. My mother is also the creator of the courses she teaches. She developed and created the courses 'Armenian Writers in Foreign Languages' and 'Psychology of Literary Creation' herself, and remains deeply committed to them. She always says, 'Make sure these courses remain and continue to be taught,'" her daughter said.

YSU Associate Professor Grigor Bekmezyan emphasized that recognition and appreciation of one's contributions are extremely important to everyone. He noted that this award represents precisely that important recognition for his mother and expressed the family's gratitude.

Astghik Bekmezyan, the author of numerous articles and books, has previously received a YSU award. On the occasion of the university's 95th anniversary, she was awarded the YSU Commemorative Medal for her long-standing exemplary service and significant contribution to the development of university education and science.