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Youth Profile: George Arut, Florida Supreme Court Intern
Florida Supreme Court Justices (seated) with 2013 Interns (standing). Chief Justice Ricky Polston (center) and George Arut (center standing)
By John Brooks
FLArmenians Guest Contributor
George Arut, a young Armenian student of distinction, recently completed an internship for Chief Justice Ricky Polston of the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee this past summer. His journey from childhood to his brilliant future is worthy of detailing so that young Armenians can aspire just as he did to make and achieve goals.
George is a wonderful example of a young Armenian who in his short life has thus far accomplished so much in which all should be proud.
His family moved to the U.S. in January 1991 and George was born later that year. After spending most of his childhood in Cleveland, Ohio, George moved with his family to Florida in 2001, where they now live.
After going to public school from kindergarten through the fifth grade, George was home-schooled from middle school onwards, basically teaching himself via computer, since his parents were working hard to achieve their own version of the American Dream. Being a straight “A” student, he was able to skip grades due to his stellar academic achievements, finishing high school at the age of 16. George was then accepted to the University of North Florida (UNF) with a Bright Futures Scholarship. In just three years he graduated Summa Cum Laude at the age of 19, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy.
Since childhood, George told his parents that he would someday be an attorney. Thus, he applied to several law schools in his final year of college. George chose to go to Florida Coastal School of Law, as they were the first to send him an invitation and offer a school scholarship for his high educational achievements. He is currently entering his final year of law school and will be graduating next year. At this rate, George will have a Juris Doctorate at only 22 years of age!
Because of his high achievements in law school, ranking #1 out of 500+ students for at least four semesters, George was chosen to do a summer internship at the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee under Chief Justice Ricky Polston. When I spoke with him, George remarked on his experience at the Court. “Being at the Court has been a truly awesome, and certainly humbling, experience. Getting to see how the highest appellate court in the state operates is something that many people do not get to see, and I feel honored that I had the chance to do just that. Not to mention the fact that I got to meet some of the Justices, staff attorneys, and other employees of the Court in person, and see a few oral argument sessions live, too. I even had the chance to help out high school students from Girls State in their mock oral arguments at the Court when they were in town, and to educate them on what law school is like. Then, to top it off, I got to meet and interact with several law students from across the state who were also interning at the Court. Overall, it was an experience that I will definitely take with me going forward,” Arut said.
Although he was not born in the “old country” and never visited there, George loves his Armenian culture, especially the music. George’s advice is to find your passion, follow your dreams and not to lose site of your faith and cultural heritage. When not obtaining his educational goals, George enjoys spending time with his family, who are the owners of INI Realty Investments in Jacksonville, Florida.
This is a perfect occasion for the Armenian community to celebrate the accomplishments of the future generation of outstanding Armenian-American leaders. Also, it is an opportunity to encourage our youth to keep their eyes on positive role models rather than the entertainment industry’s fantasy version of success in America. We in the Florida Armenian community will be watching this rising star and wish him great success.
John Brooks is the Vice Chair of the Armenian Church of Jacksonville.
Diocese of Armenian Church of America Participates in Florida Activities
Jacksonville Parish Completes Hall Renovation
Last weekend, parishioners of the Jacksonville mission parish gathered for the provisional opening of the church’s new hall. On Sunday, February 17, the Rev. Fr. Tateos Abdalian, the Diocese’s Director of Mission Parishes, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and performed a Home Blessing service in the new facility.
The hall is located on the first floor of a two-story building that the parish purchased in the summer of 2011. Since then, parishioners have worked together to renovate the building, which will serve as a community center, where local Armenians can gather for worship, and for cultural and social programs. The second floor, which will be completed soon, will be used for liturgical celebrations and performing sacraments. The formal blessing ceremony will be presided over by Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian later this year.
[PHOTOS from Jacksonville Mission Parish]
Parish Council chair Elmira Grigoryan expressed her appreciation to the community for its dedication to the project. Special thanks went to Suren Vardanian and Harout Baboyan, who have been overseeing the renovations.
Also during his visit, Fr. Abdalian performed a requiem service to honor the Armenian victims of Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing. Many of the families in Jacksonville moved to the U.S. after fleeing anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait and Baku.
ACYOA Juniors Gather for Retreat in Florida
Earlier in February, Jennifer Morris, the Diocese’s Youth Outreach Coordinator, traveled to the Sunshine State where she led the Western Florida ACYOA Juniors Retreat.
More than 20 teens from St. Hagop Church of Pinellas Park, and Soorp Haroutiun Church of Orlando, gathered for small group discussions and Bible study sessions that encouraged them to think about how they can better share the light of Christ in their everyday lives.
[PHOTOS from Western Florida ACYOA Juniors Retreat]
On Sunday morning, the Rev. Fr. Hovnan Demerjian, pastor of St. Hagop Church, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and welcomed Jennifer Morris to speak to the parish about the Diocesan Summer Camp programs. The retreat was hosted by St. Hagop Church, with the leadership of youth adviser Yn. Anna Demerjian and the support of several parish volunteers.
Story combined from the February 21st Armenian Church E-Newsletter.
Jacksonville Armenians Constructing New Parish Church, Young Members Pursue Academic Achievements
By Janna Mosinyan
FLArmenians Guest Contributor
Jacksonville, FL – The community here has grown to the point that, last year, our mission parish purchased a new property, which will serve as the epicenter of the Armenian-American community of Jacksonville. The new parish location will play an important role in the development of our community. It will be a place where local Armenians will be able to come together for worship, celebrations, and cultural and social events. This will enable the dream of Armenians living in northern Florida to manage their own institution, plan for bible studies, Sunday school and more, to become reality. The Jacksonville community has been working together to reform the building, as construction work takes place every Sunday with the help of dedicated community leaders. While church construction is in progress, the Armenian community of Jacksonville, Florida gathers each month for the monthly “Badarak,” or Divine Liturgy. The women’s choir is performing with the participation of Janna Mosinyan, Elen Mosinyan, Olivia Arslanian, Silva Baboyan, and male members Rafael Grigoryan, Aleksandr Shafiyev, Nicolas Yedigarov and Erik Mirzoyev are all active participants of the service as well.
Rev. Fr. Tateos Abdalian with Young Jacksonville Armenians
This summer has been especially productive for the young members of our community. Aleksandr Shafiyev recently represented the Armenian Community of Jacksonville on his pilgrimage to the Holly Land. Shafiyev was excited to discover that out of all the Christian nations, Armenians are one of two that have a special quarter in Jerusalem to practice their religion. “Now, that I have had an up-close experience of the Armenian traditions, I am eager to go back to my roots,” said Shafiyev. Hearing an Armenian who has never been to Armenia talk about his heritage with such a great pride is a delightful feeling. On July 11, 2012, The Eastern Diocese announced the recipients of the Diocesan Academic Scholarship for 2012-13. The Armenian community of Jacksonville is proud to announce that two of our students, Rafael Gregoryan and Erik Mirzoyev, have earned the scholarship by committing tremendous time and dedication to our community. Since 2008, I have been an active member of the Armenian-American community of Jacksonville, and it is evident that our local parish has been crucial for the success and development of young Armenians here. As an Armenian who arrived to United States only four years ago, I have found a little Armenia, here in north Florida, thousands of miles away from home.
Janna Mosinyan is an active member of the Jacksonville Armenian-American community, and sings in the parish choir. She is currently studying Political Science at the University of North Florida.
Florida Armenians 