July 15, 2026
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BOSTON – The Armenian International Women’s Association (AIWA) has announced 57 recipients of a total of $141,000 in scholarship aid for the 2026-2027 academic year. This is a record amount and a record number of recipients for the scholarship program, now in its twentieth year. It brings the total awarded over the life of the program to over one million dollars.
AIWA scholarships are available to women of Armenian descent who are full time students at the level of college junior or above. Awards are based on financial need and merit, and are funded by endowments as well as ongoing donations, including a generous donation for the Hasmik Mgrdichian Scholarship awarded by AIWA’s Los Angeles affiliate.
The AIWA scholarship program is international in scope. Most students are from the United States and Armenia, with Lebanon, Austria, Canada, Czechia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, and Turkey also represented. The higher educational institutions attended by these students are equally international, representing countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.
The fields of study pursued by these students are also diverse. There is a strong emphasis on care-oriented professions including mental health and psychology, education, and advanced clinical medicine. A growing trend of studying data/artificial intelligence and other interdisciplinary sciences was observed among this year’s applicants. AIWA also funded students in fields related to management, law, and public policy, reflecting the promotion of women’s leadership in business and government. Finally, AIWA continues a longstanding investment in women pursuing the arts, as well as scholarship tied to Armenian identity.
AIWA scholarships provide unique opportunities for donors to remember a loved one while at the same time providing recognition and much-needed financial assistance to young Armenian women students pursuing higher education and preparing for careers.
AIWA’s scholarship program was initiated in 1996 with an award in memory of Bentley University professor Agnes K. Missirian, an early AIWA member and advocate for women’s rights. Over the years donations have been made in the names of Lucy Kasparian Aharonian (for students in the sciences), Nishan and Margrit Atinizian, Ethel Jaferian Duffett, Nina and Raffi Festekjian, Rose “Azad” Hovannesian, Arpine Kharajian (for a student in the health and helping professions), Eva and Jack Medzorian (with a preference for students from the Tavush Region), Hasmig Mgrdichian, Dr. Carolann S. and George Najarian, Hripsime Parsekian, and the Hinckley Allen Women’s Forum. AIWA also supports tuition aid for students at the American University of Armenia with support from the John Mirak Foundation, in memory of Alice Kanlian Mirak, and from AIWA’s San Francisco Affiliate.
The next round of applications, for the 2027 academic year, will open in January 2027. A full list of scholarship recipients, and more information about the scholarship program, can be found on the AIWA website, https://www.aiwainternational.org/scholarships.
