GLENDALE, CA– With the 2009 Summer Session of the Armenian National Committee-Western Region Internship-Externship Program (ANC-WR IEP) off to a fast-paced start, Elizabeth McIntyre joins the ANC-WR office as an Administration and Development Intern. Focusing on Armenian American civic engagement and community development initiatives, McIntyre will be working with her fellow interns as well as the ANC-WR staff and assisting local ANCs with summer projects.
“I wanted to participate in the IEP because I think the skills and experiences that I will gain in it will be invaluable to the things I want to do with my life,” says Elizabeth. “In the last few years I have become more interested in issues of policy, activism, and international opportunities. I wanted to participate in a program like this because I want to be equipped to do more with my career than make a paycheck and I am becoming more interested in Armenian things.”
McIntyre is researching on current and previous state legislation related to the Armenian American community. She will also be working with the ANC Professional Network where she will assist with their professionals panel series featuring careers in public service and public policy.
McIntyre received her Associates Degree at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga where she also served in the student government and is currently a senior at CSU “Cal Poly” Pomona, where she is majoring in Finance. As vice president of Cal Poly Pomona’s Interdisciplinary General Education Student Organization, she helped to create, set up, and market various events. She feels that this campus experience helped her prepare for the ANC-WR IEP.
While McIntyre’s maternal grandfather is Armenian, she sees this internship as an opportunity to become more involved in the Armenian American community.
“I grew up with less knowledge of the issues and culture than one might expect of most Armenian Americans in southern California,” she says. “I am always looking to make a positive difference and want to be more engaged in this part of my heritage.”
In the past year, McIntyre joined the Armenian Student Association at Cal Poly and has been involved in the on-campus meetings and events. She is looking forward to her experience in the IEP and hopes to remain an active member of the ANC after she completes the program.
McIntyre hopes to professionally apply her academic training overseas where she can encourage sustainable business practices and economic development.
The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy 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 advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
