Maral Krikorian appreciated the opportunity to advocate on Capitol Hill, but also to put her computer science background to use, working with ANCA IT Director Nerses Semerjian to better leverage technology to strengthen Armenian American grassroots efforts. \u201cMy favorite part about the program was that I gained hands-on experience in advocating for the Armenian cause and learned new skills through working with AI,\u201d explained Krikorian. \u201cI loved connecting with Armenians working at the Hill and meeting with many Armenians, gaining long-time friendships.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Lorig Korajian and Anna Lieggi offered high marks for the innovative Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association ArtLinks program that the ANCA summer interns were privileged to participate in. \u201cWe spent a weekend [at ArtLinks] with incredibly talented and diverse Armenians from all over the U.S. and Canada who introduced me to various aspects of what it means to be Armenian. Although we all came from different backgrounds, we were all able to unite through our shared Armenian culture, and I am forever grateful for everything I learned,\u201d explained Korajian. Lieggi agreed, noting, \u201cThis weekend-long event featured speakers from around the world who taught us about various aspects of Armenian culture and our achievements. Specifically, Professor Ervine\u2019s discussion on the symbolism of\u00a0khachkars\u00a0<\/i>and their unique histories was incredibly informative.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Armenian cultural components and community outreach were also particularly meaningful for Maneh Davtyan, who reminisced that her favorite part of the ANCA program was \u201cbeing able to attend a number of Armenian cultural events, which have reinforced my excitement for the Armenian cause and has shown me the importance of continuing to maintain our cultural traditions and customs. One of my favorite events was attending the 77th annual ANC Richmond Picnic at St. James Armenian Church, where we participated in traditional Armenian song and dance.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Vana Hovsepian, connecting with fellow Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) members from throughout the U.S. and Canada was a favorite part of the program. \u201cAs someone who is involved in the AYF Western Region, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the members of Eastern Region ANCA and AYF. This experience has proven to me that no matter where I go, the Armenian community will always be at my side and willing to help me grow as an individual, both personally and professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
The camaraderie and family atmosphere shared while living at the ANCA Aramian House was an unforgettable component of the six-week summer program for Sabrina Tomarci. \u201cWhile living at the Aramian House, I have formed close friendships with my fellow interns and have had the opportunity to explore the city of D.C. In addition to this, further developing my advocacy skills while on Capitol Hill has allowed me to grow more confident,\u201d explained Tomarci.<\/p>\n
Armen Bagdassarian concurred, noting, \u201cAs someone who comes from a small town with little to no Armenians, it\u2019s been amazing just meeting so many friendly faces in D.C. and making lifelong friendships, not only with Armenians across the U.S. but all across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ANCA hosted a special July 4th young professionals gathering at the Aramian House, bringing together ANCA interns, the Armenian Assembly\u2019s Terjenian-Thomas internship participants and alumni of the ANCA\u2019s Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program and various youth empowerment initiatives.<\/p>\n
The Leo Sarkisian Internship program \u2014 named after the late ANCA Eastern U.S. community leader and Hai Tahd advocate \u2014 empowers dedicated Armenians in their efforts to achieve justice for the Armenian Genocide, freedom for Artsakh and a secure and prosperous Armenian homeland. The LSI was established in 1986 and now has hundreds of alumni worldwide. For the sixth year, the LSI is running concurrently with the Maral Melkonian Avetisyan Fellowship, named in memory of the devoted youth advocate who dedicated her life to helping the Armenian homeland.<\/p>\n
ANCA selects summer interns through a competitive application process, with acceptance based on academic excellence and demonstrated capacity for community leadership. While in Washington D.C., summer interns stay at the Aramian House, an eight-bedroom former bed and breakfast located in the historic Dupont Circle neighborhood, just a short walk from the ANCA headquarters. The Aramian House was established through a generous donation by sisters Sue, the late Margo and the late Martha Aramian, generous benefactors of ANCA programs and projects in the Armenian homeland and diaspora.<\/p>\n
To learn more about the ANCA\u2019s suite of professional development and youth empowerment programs, including the Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program, Leo Sarkisian Summer Internship Program, Maral Melkonian Avetisyan Fellowship, ANCA Rising Leaders Program, Lucine Kouchakdjian Capitol Hill Days and the Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy, visit\u00a0anca.org\/youth<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nhttps:\/\/horizonweekly.ca\/en\/anca-interns-reminisce-about-a-summer-of-pro-armenian-advocacy\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON\u2014The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Leo Sarkisian Internship and Maral Melkonian Avetisyan Fellowship participants have returned to their hometowns across the U.S. and Canada, inspired by a summer spent in Washington, D.C. rallying for Artsakh justice and supporting Armenia security and sovereignty, all the while making friendships that will last a lifetime. ANCA…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-media-hy","category-44","description-off"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1678"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1680,"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678\/revisions\/1680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamazkayinartlinks.org\/hy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}