Chairman’s Message on the Occasion of the 24th Annual Meeting
Agazi School Alumni Association-North America (NA) is proud to hold its 24th annual meeting on July 6, 2019 in Washington DC. ASAA-NA’s 24th annual meeting has many reasons to celebrate among which the formation of new chapters and the revitalization of existing ones are some of the highlights. In this regard, ASAA-NA board would like to welcome the Atlanta ASAA-NA Chapter, and looks forward to the finalization of the California Chapter formation that is already underway.
The completion of the preliminary design of the Keih Beit Timhirti project gives ASAA-NA another reason to be celebratory on its 24th annual meeting. As a fully volunteer run organization, while there are many more steps to go, accomplishing such a task is a testament to the dedication of ASAA-NA board and its members. Undertaking such a project has meant spending countless hours by its board members to enlist feedbacks and to listen the views and concerns of its members and supporters.
Upgrading ASAA-NA web site to make it an effective platform for learning, networking, and fundraising goals is yet another reason for ASAA-NA to be celebratory. In today’s digital and information age effective online presence is not an option for our association. In the past two years creating an effective web development team with clear terms of reference has been one of the current board’s priorities and successes. Thanks to our web development team, ASAA-NA has professional web site with an infrastructure to support fund raising, membership drive, learning and social networking.
ASAA-NA’s goal is to contribute towards the bigger goal of developing our community back in Tigray through education. To this end ASAA-NA has been supporting various initiatives with the goal of helping Agazi students and those of surrounding schools to become college ready through improved academic performance.
Running a fully volunteer based non-profit organization for the last 24 years was made possible not because it is easy but because of the strong network of committed members and supporters of the association. Thus, promoting social network and promoting the cultural heritage of its members is another equally important goal of our association. Through its annual gala and other local chapter events, the association uses the platforms to display the delicacies of the Ethiopian cousin, the beverages specific to the cultural heritage, the dresses and hair styles, the music and the culture of hospitality.
This year’s theme is Setting ASAA-NA on a path of growth and continuity. ASAA-NA’s goal for 2019-20 will be to expand the number of chapters in the USA by reaching out to the network of former Agazi school students who have not yet joined and by encouraging to renew their membership those who have lagged behind. Overall, the two overarching goals of ASAA-NA will continue to be nurturing strong social network among its members and supporting students at Agazi School and school in the surrounding to achieve their dreams.
For all the above reasons and the reasons you may find compelling, I encourage each former student of Agazi High School and Preparatory school and those who support the cause of our association to join ASAA-NA by visiting our web site www.agazi.org
Hagos Gebre
Chairman, ASAA-NA Board of Directors