Community News

Rachel Kaprielian Addresses AIWA Armenian Christmas Celebration

ARLINGTON, Mass. – On Sunday, January 8, the Armenian International Women's Association (AIWA) New England affiliate held their third annual Armenian Christmas Celebration at the Armenian Cultural Foundation. A large turnout of members, relatives and friends enjoyed festive holiday cheer. Carolyn Atinizian, president of the AIWA New England affiliate, opened with a Power Point introduction summarizing AIWA's purposes and recent activities. Featured guest Rachel Kaprielian, Massachusetts Registrar of Motor Vehicles, offered inspiring words for the group. She spoke about the rewards of public service and encouraged women to enter this field. Women are often reticent and tend to feel they have to know everything before taking on something, she said. "Just get in there," she advised. "You can ask people to teach you what you need to know once you are there." She talked about her public service at the age of 22, when she first ran for Watertown Town Council. Trying to decide whether to enter the contest, she asked her father, "What if I lose?" He replied, "So what?" With that encouragement she jumped into the campaign and won. She went on to become the state representative for Watertown in the state for several years. In office, she constantly reminded herself to "be confident; you were elected for a reason." She noted, "You get knocked around, but you get up, dust yourself off and keep going." She thanked the Armenian community for their support over the years.