Alice Astkig Sourian was the first Mount Holyoke student from Armenia and an ex-member of the class of 1930. Although she was unable to finish her education at Mount Holyoke, she received her undergraduate art degree from Calvin Coolidge College. She spent one year at Boston College seeking a law degree before she worked towards a master’s degree in education from Harvard in 1945. Sourian wrote a paper titled “Hagop Bogigian and the Education of Armenian Girls.” Bogigian was an Armenian immigrant who made his wealth in trade and gambling. He married an American and alumna of the College, with a connection to English high society, Helen Carrington, class of 1868. When Bogigian died, he left a fund to Mount Holyoke, prioritizing women from Near East schools and especially Armenian Girls. This included Sourian, who wrote a summary of his life and impact on the College. In addition to her article about Bogigian, she wrote many articles advocating for the betterment of Armenian schools, especially for women.
She worked as a nurse in Boston for over four decades before she was beaten to death in a robbery at her Dorchester home, which was also burned down. A myriad of books, copies of her articles, and a Mount Holyoke College poster were among the items found burned in her home.
