PRESS RELEASE
July 2, 2007
Armenian National Committee of America
Eastern Region, US
P.O. Box 419, New York, NY 10108
Contact: Karine Birazian
Tel: 917-428-1918
EASTERN REGION LEO SARKISIAN INTERNS WRAP UP THEIR SECOND FULL WEEK
OF INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Washington, DC ` Entering their third week, ANCA Leo Sarkisian
Eastern Region interns Nyree Naljian and Alidz Oshagan have gone
above and beyond the expectations of most summer interns. While
spending their days at the ANCA office, both have attended
functions on Capitol Hill, visited Congressional offices, and
worked on the various projects and tasks at hand reported the
Armenian National Committee of America, Eastern Region (ANCA-ER).
"We are so honored to have two young, bright, young, and motivated
activists from the eastern region interning in the office this
summer. Having an opportunity to meet all seven interns, it is
clear that each one of them brings their own expertise to the
organization and work collectively to strengthen our cause,"
commented ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Karine Birazian.
Naljian, a New Jersey native, is a junior at Pace University in the
Masters program for Business Accounting. She applied for the
internship to gain first hand experience in the American political
system while becoming more involved with Armenian issues.
"So far this internship has been even more than what I expected. I
have been to Capitol Hill for several occasions, participated in
lectures with Armenian American leaders and professionals from
various fields, and also have met key figures in the House of
Representatives and Senate including the Speaker of the House,
Nancy Pelosi," commented Naljian.
Oshagan, originally from Michigan, is a sophomore at University of
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Wisconsin Madison, and is majoring is Sociology, with plans to
attend law school in the future. She applied to the internship to
increase her knowledge on how a grassroots organization operates.
Oshagan and Birazian even spent her second day on Capitol Hill
distributing a magazine created by the North Farmington School
District to help raise awareness about genocide, to the entire
Michigan Congressional delegation.
"The ANCA Leo Sarkisian internship has allowed me to contribute to
the Armenian cause in a hands-on way that I have not been able to
do in the past. I also have the opportunity here to go to Capitol
Hill and meet with staffers which helps build communication skills
regarding informing offices about Armenian issues," commented
Oshagan.
Naljian and Oshagan have spent their first few weeks in the office
working on several projects, including advocacy outreach to help
with H. Res. 106 (the Armenian Genocide resolution), participating
in lectures by prominent individuals, attending Congressional
Baseball games, as well as working on their own personal projects
which focus on advancing the Armenian cause.
Now in its 23rd year, the ANCA LSI Program provides student
leaders and activists an opportunity to participate in an intensive
8-week program designed to give them the tools necessary to
effectively advance issues of concern to the Armenian American
community on the federal, state and local level. The LSI Program is
a competitive and prestigious internship program and is widely
considered to be the best program of its kind for Armenian American
college students.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest
and most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively
advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad
range of issues.
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Photo Captions:
Photo 1: Nyree Naljian
Photo 2: Alidz Oshagan