Young Armenian Activists To Intern For Anca

YOUNG ARMENIAN ACTIVISTS TO INTERN FOR ANCA

DeFacto Agency
June 24 2008
Armenia

After last week’s excitement of House and Senate hearings, Armenian
National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) Leo Sarkisian
Interns, Nieri Avanessian and Zori Eurdekian, reflect on their new
experiences and first week in Washington, DC.

To note, Nieri Avanessian is a Michigan native who completed her
freshman year at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor as an English &
political science major. "We are excited, confident, and honored that
Nieri and Zori will experience working to help advance the Armenian
cause by interning for the ANCA this summer. Both activists exhibit
strong skills in the political arena and have shown vast commitment
to their Armenian heritage," commented ANCA ER Executive Director
Karine Birazian.

After being accepted to the internship, Avanessian stated: "I applied
to this internship program to gain a more intimate knowledge of the
American government and the way that lobbying groups affect it. I
really hope to make a big difference in the Armenian cause and
I think that by working in Washington, D.C. with the ANCA, I can
accomplish that."

Following her first week, in her weekly journal, she reflected,
"Being involved in Hai Tahd is great no matter where you are, but
when you’re in Washington, DC, in the thick of it all, it is just
that much more personal and close to your heart."

Along with helping with day-to-day office activities, Avanessian
will be researching U.S. aid to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and the
Millennium Challenge Account. Having an opportunity to already hear
from Ara Hovsepian the CEO of the Millennium Challenge

Account-Armenia, Avanessian is enthusiastic about working on this
project.

In his turn, Zori Eurdekian, born and raised in New York, is currently
a junior at Babson College. In his personal statement in applying for
the internship program, Eurdekian stated, "As Armenian Americans, we
should be proactive by working within the American political system. I
am hoping the ANCA summer internship program will help give me the
tools and the knowledge to work within the system and introduce me
to the ways of how policies are shaped and influenced. I am also
hoping to meet other American Armenians from different regions of
the country to establish a network of lifelong friends with common
goals and ambitions."

Eurdekian will be working with the ANCA staff in helping to send
out and collect ANCA 2008 Questionnaires for the upcoming House and
Senate races.

It should be added that now in its 24th 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.