GLENDLAE—The Armenian National Committee of Glendale announced this week its choice of three candidates to participate in the Spring 2010 Internship Program: a selective, part time, leadership training program, geared towards high school and college students interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of the public affairs arena. Joining the program are Arthur Karadzhyan, Lousine Michmichian, and Sevada Simounian-Khygani.
“We’re proud to welcome yet another exceptional group of students into the ANCG internship program and provide them with the necessary training and avenue through which they can become active participants in the political discourse of our city and our community,” stated Elen Asatryan, Executive Director of the ANCG.
A senior at Crespi Carmelite High School of Encino, Arthur Karadzhyan is a four-year honor-roll student, an active member of the student body and a former member of the five-time, consecutive, Mission League champion wrestling team. “I decided to enroll in the Armenian National Committee’s Glendale Chapter Internship Program to provide myself with a venue through which I could channel my spirit of social and political activism and combine my sense of civic duty with public responsibility to the community,” stated Arthur Karadzhyan. “By interning at the ANC’s Glendale Chapter, I hope to immerse myself in the environment of a political and public affairs operation in order to strengthen the social and cultural infrastructure of the community,” added Karadzhyan.
Lousine Michmichian, currently a junior at Glendale High School, is an active member of the GHS Armenian Club. As one of her many personal initiatives to increase awareness of Armenian-American related issues, Lousine is extensively involved in the planning of the District-wide Assembly in Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.
“I am thrilled to have been given this opportunity through which I can get a better sense of government and organizational proceedings and be able to work on projects that will directly benefit my community.” added Michmichian.
Sevada Simounian-Khygani is a recent graduate of UCLA and a current executive board member of GCC’s Armenian Student Association. A Middle Eastern and North African Studies double major, Simounian-Khygani, has interned at the Armenian National Committee’s Western Region and Washington D.C. offices where he participated in raising awareness about the Armenian Genocide, the Chevron Campaign and in “Greener Armenia”.
“After graduating from UCLA in Spring I took part in the Leo Sarkisian Internship in Washington D.C. I had a deep desire to get involved in with my local ANCA Chapter. In previous years I completed the Western Region Externship with Genocide Education Project. I wanted to bring my knowledge and experience that I gained to the Glendale ANCA Internship. I feel as an Alumnus it is my responsibility not only to give back, but to get personally involved in my community,” stated Simounian-Khygani.
Established in Fall 2007, The ANCG Internship program provides an opportunity for student leaders and activists to gain an in-depth understanding of Armenian-American issues as well as advocacy efforts on the local level. In addition to networking with community leaders, candidates participate in workshops featuring a variety of guest speakers, including public officials, ANC leadership, and specialists from the community. Interns also partake in joint projects with fellow interns as well as individual sessions ranging from media relations and civic participation to grassroots advocacy.
The Armenian National Committee – Glendale Chapter advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city’s Armenian American community and promotes increased civic participation and awareness at the grassroots and public policy levels.