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Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
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PRESS RELEASE +++ PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Thursday, September 7, 2006
Contact: Lerna Kayserian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
ANCA-WR Summer Interns Contribute to Grassroots Initiatives
GLENDALE, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western
Region (ANCA-WR) completed its 2006 Summer Internship Program last
month. The program began on June 23rd and ended on August 18, with
interns from across the western region United States working to
advance the Armenian Cause.
Salpi Demirjian, a high school student from Gilbert, Arizona and an
active member of the Armenian Youth Federation Phoenix Chapter, was
among the participants of the internship program. During her time at
the ANCA-WR office, she created and updated a community database of
Arizona Armenians and identified state grant programs in California
related to the mission of the ANCA.
Sossie Mahroukian, a recent graduate of the California State University
at Fullerton, joined the program from Orange County. Ms.
Mahroukian earned her degree in Business Marketing. During the
internship, she explored opportunities for collaboration between the
ANCA and community organizations that share similar goals. Her main
project involved outreach to local Democratic and Republican party
clubs in an effort to connect the Armenian American community with
each political party’s base. Her project fell within the broader
efforts of the ANCA to engage Armenian Americans more actively in
local community politics.
Teresa Petrosyan, a Valley Village resident and a UCLA junior studying
International Development, spent her internship working with the
Genocide Education Project. The Genocide Education Project assists
educators in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the
Armenian Genocide, by developing instructional materials and providing
teaching resources and organizing training workshops. Working closely
with Raffi Momjian, the Genocide Education Project’s Executive Director
and Sarah Cohan, the Genocide Education Project’s Education Director,
Ms. Petrosyan identified school districts in California in which
genocide education workshops should be organized.
Allen Yekikan, a Glendale resident and UCLA junior studying history,
worked on increasing the accessibility of the ANCA as a resource for
the Armenian community. As part of his project, he catalogued the video
and book library of the Western Region office and created a digital
lending system. Mr. Yekikan also compiled a speaker bureau featuring
ANCA and community leaders, which could be used by Armenian collegiate
organizations to help them identify speakers on various topics. Both
the library lending system and speaker bureau will be launched via the
ANCA website this fall. In addition to interning at the ANCA-WR office,
Mr. Yekikan also worked as an extern with Asbarez Daily Newspaper,
where he served as an assistant editor for the English edition.
In addition to their individual projects, the interns participated in
the daily activities of the Western Region office. They participated
in meetings during the Congressional summer recess along with ANCA-WR
board members, staff and local ANC leadership. The interns also joined
former interns and volunteers in staffing the ANCA-WR exhibit at
the California Republican Party state convention, where they helped
introduce the organization to elected officials, party leadership
and delegates from across the state.
The program also included a lecture series as well as weekly press
reviews in which the interns presented and discussed news articles
related to Armenian American issues. The lecture series began with
an introduction to the history of Armenian American advocacy and
political awareness in the United States, including the inception,
growth and continued development of the ANCA.
"The meetings and press reviews are inspiring, informative, and
educational," remarked Ms. Petrosyan. "We met professionals with
political knowledge and skills. They are good advisors – especially
to those of us interested in pursuing a career in public service."
The interns were treated to a special lecture presentation by
Glendale City Councilman Rafi Manoukian and Glendale City Clerk
Ardashes Kassakhian, who discussed the importance of Armenian American
involvement in public service. The interns were also given a tour of
Los Angeles City Hall, led by former Leo Sarkissian Intern Rostom
Sarkissian. The tour was made possible by Areen Ibranossian, ANCA
activist and aide to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
"I enjoyed the atmosphere of the program. The staff members were
friendly and I learned a lot from them about how the ANCA runs
day-to-day," commented Mr. Yekikan. "It was interesting to learn about
the long history of the organization and I am amazed with the amount
of progress we have made in empowering our community in the past
decades. I was glad I could contribute to advancing our community’s
issues through the internship program."
The ANCA-WR Internship Program is also offered during the fall
and spring. More information about these programs is available by
contacting ANCA-WR Community Relations Director Haig Hovsepian.
Editor’s Note: Photo included(left to right): Allen Yekikan,
Teresa Petrosyan, Former ANCA-WR Chairman Levon Kirkosian, Sossie
Mahroukian, Salpi Demirjian, and ANCA-WR Community Relations Director,
Haig Hovsepian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
