Burbank Leader
Feb 24 2007

Schiff meets with students

Series of meetings is meant to encourage participation and diversity
in service, congressman says.
By Anthony Kim

Glendale Community College board member Vahe Perooman, right, joins
Rep. Adam Schiff at a Glendale Community College breakfast on Friday
and tells his story of coming to America from Iran.

GLENDALE – An elite group of student leaders talked politics over
breakfast with Rep. Adam Schiff Friday morning at Glendale Community
College’s culinary arts department.

Schiff invited about 25 Armenian-American students from high schools
in his district to promote diversity in public service, Schiff said.
The congressman met with Asian-American student leaders in San
Gabriel on Thursday, and hosted meetings with African-American and
Latino students in October.

"We wanted to encourage more participation in public service," said
Schiff, whose congressional district includes Glendale and Burbank.

City officials, commissioners, local clergy members and community
college trustees also had their morning meal with the students.
Students from Glendale, Crescenta Valley, Burbank, John Marshall
Fundamental and John Muir high schools were there to discuss public
service.

After brief introductions from college board President Armine
Hacopian and college President Audre Levy, Schiff stood at the front
of the room listening as every student shared his or her aspirations
and background.

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Sona Karakashian, 17, a senior at Clark Magnet High School, said she
loved campaigning for Assemblyman Paul Krekorian during the last
election cycle and that getting into politics is her dream.

"Maybe I can become a politician and serve the community of Glendale
someday," Sona said.

Romina Keshishyan, 18, said being president of Glendale High School’s
Junior State of America chapter – a nationwide political organization
for high schools – got her deeply interested in government and
politics. advertisement

But she still is not quite sure about what career to pursue.

"All of us here are undecided in what we want to do," Romina said.
"We just have a mutual interest in politics. I just want to know what
motivated [Schiff] to become congressman."

Many of the students had medical school on their minds rather than
politics.

Glendale High School student body Vice President Nare Kupelian, 17,
said she was interested in politics until TV show Grey’s Anatomy
sparked an interest in medicine.

"Now I’m debating on med school and politics," she said.

The community leaders shared their own experiences with the students
and the paths they took to achieve their positions.

Father Vazken Atmajian, from St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church in
Glendale, was one of the many Armenian leaders at the breakfast
offering inspiration to the students.

"The opportunities are out there and you have to be ready to take the
opportunity…. Get educated as much as you can," he said. "Get
physical nourishment and spiritual nourishment."