PRESS RELEASE
Date: June 23, 2008
Armenian National Committee of America
Eastern Region
122 W. 27th St, Floor 12, New York, NY, 10001
Contact: Karine Birazian
Tel: 917-428-1918

ANCA LEO SARKISIAN INTERNS TAKE WASHINGTON, DC BY STORM
–Eastern Region activists Nieri Avanessian and Zori Eurdekian reflect
on their experiences

Washington, DC- 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.

"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.

Nieri Avanessian is a Michigan native who completed her freshman year
at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor as an English & political
science major. Active in various organizations including the
University of Michigan Armenian Students Cultural Association, the
Armenian Youth Federation, the Hamazkayin Dance Ensemble, and the
University of Michigan Arts Chorale, Avanessian has already shown
strong leadership roles and efforts to help advance the Armenian cause
while interning with the ANCA.

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 Hovsepyan the CEO of the Millennium Challenge
Account-Armenia, Avanessian is enthusiastic about working on this
project.

Zori Eurdekian, born and raised in New York, is currently a junior at
Babson College. Heavily involved with school campus affairs,
including the Babson Campus Activities Board, the Babson Armenian
Student Association, and the Babson Admissions Assistant Program,
Eurdekian is a team player, even sacrificing attending the House
Hearing on the Caucasus this past Wednesday to assist at the ANCA
office.

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."

Reflecting on week one of the Leo Sarkisian Internship, Eurdekian
commented, "After a successful, informative, and enjoyable first week,
I am more enabled and capable of carrying out the mission of the ANCA.
I look forward to working with all the interns, ANCA staff, and all
the Capitol Hill staff in the upcoming weeks."

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.

Last year’s Eastern Region interns, Nyree Naljian and Alidz Oshagan,
have been called upon by ANCA ER Executive Director Karine Birazian to
become active and help guide Avanessian and Eurdekian through their
own experiences from interning with the ANCA in 2007. Both graduates
of the LSI Program will offer guidance and help to all the LSI
participants.

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.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

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Photo Caption #1: ANCA Leo Sarkisian Intern Nieri Avanessian
Photo Caption #2: ANCA Leo Sarkisian Intern Zori Eurdekian