GLENDALE—The 2009 Summer Session of the Armenian National Committee-Western Region’s Internship Externship Program (ANC-WR-IEP) came to a close on August 19.
The interns concluded their participation in the program by delivering presentations outlining their accomplishments to members of the ANC-WR Board of Directors, executives from local ANCs, the ANC-Professional Network, community partner organizations and ANC-WR IEP alumni. The event was hosted at the ANC-WR office in Glendale, California.
“The interns were amazing this summer. Each took the reins of multiple projects and delivered,” said Haig Hovsepian, the ANC-WR IEP Coordinator. “They did it all; from community development to fundraising and media outreach to educational projects. The local ANCs to which they are returning have great community activists and organizers ready to step up and help lead local ANC efforts in the coming year.”
The ANC-WR graduated seven interns from the program this summer.Colette Ghazarian (Troy High School, Fullerton) and Hovsep Hajibekyan (UC Berkeley) worked as Public and Media Relations Interns in the program. They were joined by Community and Government Affairs Interns Srbui Karapetian (UC Los Angeles), Nare Kupelian (UC San Diego), and Lauren Shenian (Glendale College) as well as Administration and Development Interns Razmig Khayalian (UC Irvine) and Elizabeth McIntyre (Cal Poly Pomona).
The summer session began June 15 and over the ten week program each intern was given an individual set of projects and also took part in weekly group meetings. These meetings included professional development workshops, media review seminars, issues briefings, and lectures.
Featured speakers came from organizations such as the ANC Professional Network, the ANC-WR Board of Directors, the Genocide Education Project, and the California Institute of Technology. Participants even visited the Horizon TV studios and Asbarez newspaper offices located in the Little Armenia neighborhood of Hollywood in order to learn more about community media.
“The work I did as part of the ANC-WR IEP will prepare me for my career as well as future community organizing and leadership roles,” said Karapetian. “Now that I am more aware about issues affecting my community, I am more enthusiastic about helping organize and volunteer for community events.”
The interns’ projects had them working in the office and out in the field. Over the past two months, interns were writing press releases, organizing community forums and fundraisers as well as educational workshops, voter registration, media archiving, and helping promote civic engagement within the community.
Through the program, interns worked with various community organizations including local ANCs, the ANC Professional Network, the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce-Little Armenia Chapter, and the Genocide Education Project as well as other non-Armenian organizations and the US Census Bureau.
The graduates return to communities throughout California and look to be active within the ANCs of San Diego County, Orange County, the San Gabriel Valley, Hollywood, Glendale, Crescenta Valley, Pasadena, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
“I am leaving this program with greater knowledge on what it takes to rally for a cause,” said Kupelian. “Issues are addressed through many detail-oriented and persistent tasks. I can finish my time in the program feeling accomplished knowing that I contributed in some way to advancing the Armenian cause.”
The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest Armenian American grassroots community organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR works to promote understanding regarding issues of concern to the Armenian American community.
