ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PROGRAM IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of
America's (Assembly) Terjenian-Thomas Internship Program in Washington, D.C.
kicked off this past month. Educational workshops, lectures, meetings, and
activities are planned for the participants throughout the summer. This year's
internship class hails from across the United States, representing Arizona,
California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, and Utah.
Founded in 1977, the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program
is the first internship program offered by an Armenian organization in our
nation's capital, and has over 1,000 intern alumni. For eight weeks each
summer, the Assembly gives college students of Armenian descent an opportunity
to learn about the policy-making process by interacting with government
officials, policymakers, and local leaders.
The Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program class of 2019
includes 17 college students:
- Lillian Avedian from
Woodland Hills, CA attends the University of California, Berkeley and is
interning with the United States Agency for Global Media's Voice of
America (VOA) Armenian Service. Last year, she participated in the Armenian Assembly's summer internship program in Armenia where
she interned with Hetq news agency as an investigative
journalist. - Gayane Baghdasaryan
from Yerevan, Armenia and recent graduate of Texas A&M University's
Bush School of Government Graduate School is interning with the Eurasia
Foundation. She earned her Master's Degree through the United States
Fulbright Student Scholarship, and is part of the U.S. Department of
State's Edmund S. Muskie Internship Program. - Lucine Beylerian from
Upper Saddle River, NJ attends the University of Southern California and
is interning with Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chair
Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ). - Dikran Damar from
Istanbul, Turkey attends Istanbul University and is interning with the
Armenian National Institute (ANI). - Serena Hajjar from
Lexington, MA attends the University of Pennsylvania and is interning with
the Armenian National Institute (ANI). - Isabelle Kapoian from
Bedford, NH attends the University of New Hampshire and is interning with
Lowenstein Sandler LLP law firm. - Armen Kaprelian from
Scottsdale, AZ attends George Mason University's Graduate School and is
interning with the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Permanent
Mission to the United States and Canada. - Samuel Karabashian
from Ventnor, NJ is a recent graduate of Biola University in La Mirada, CA
and is interning with the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the United
States. - Brooke Kersten from
Oxford, MI attends Michigan State University and is interning with the
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). - Victoria Khederian
from Bloomfield Township, MI attends the University of Michigan (Ann
Arbor) and is interning with the Republican National Committee (RNC). - Mihran Markarian from
Fountain Valley, CA is transferring from Irvine Valley College to the
University of California, Santa Barbara. He is interning with the Center
for Immigration Studies (CIS) think tank. - Ani Matevosyan from
Van Nuys, CA is transferring from the California State University,
Northridge to the University of Southern California. She is interning with
the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the United States. - Michael Melkonian from
Glendale, CA attends Glendale Community College and is interning with the
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). - Alec Muradliyan from
Newport Beach, CA attends Chapman University and is interning with House
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA). - Alexander Nargizian
from Franklin Lakes, NJ attends Fairfield University and is interning with
the Armenian National Institute (ANI). - Aram Sahakyan from
Rockville, MD attends Colorado State University and is interning with In
Defense of Christians (IDC), the nation's leading advocacy organization
for Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East. - Olivia Zorayan from
Irvine, CA is a recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine.
She is interning with Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chair
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA).
Following the success of the past two years' week-long high school
internship pilot program, Tioné Hoeckner from Salt Lake City, UT and Elena
Martinez from Boynton Beach, FL will be interning in the Armenian Assembly of
America's office and joining the university-age summer interns at
Assembly-organized meetings and events.
"Since I participated in the Armenian Assembly's summer
internship program last year, I know how educational and valuable the summer
will be for this internship class. I am impressed by how enthusiastic
and intellectually curious the 2019 interns are, and look forward to
a very productive program," stated this summer's internship coordinator,
Arianna Cruickshank. Arianna participated in last summer's Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program,
where she interned with Congressman Pallone. Originally from Edgewater, NJ, she
is a senior at Ramapo College in Mawah, NJ.
Through the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program,
participants are offered extensive educational opportunities via the Capital
Ideas program, which provides interns a forum to ask questions to elected
officials about current topics, national and international in scope.
Since the start of this year's Program, the internship group has
already met with House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), the office of Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI),
U.S. Homeland Security Program Manager Noris Balabanian, and Armenian Church of
America (Eastern) Diocesan Legate Archbishop Vicken Aykazian who participated
in the signing ceremony at the White House regarding the Iraq and Syria
Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act, with many more meetings
planned throughout the summer.
The program participants attended a lecture on Administrative
Law at The George Washington University Law School taught by Visiting Associate
Professor of Law Aram Gavoor, Armenian Assembly of America Board Member and
Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program alumnus. Professor Gavoor’s
administrative law scholarship was cited by the Supreme Court this week in
Department of Commerce v. New York. The program participants also enjoyed a
picnic on the National Mall organized by the Congressional Armenian Staff
Association (CASA).
Interns also participated in a presentation by Armenian American
author Michael Bobelian on his latest book, Battle for the Marble
Palace: Abe Fortas, Earl Warren, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and the Forging
of the Modern Supreme Court. Bobelian is the author of Children of
Armenia: A Forgotten Genocide and the Century-Long Struggle for Justice in
which he discusses the Armenian Assembly of America and its work with former
Senator Robert Dole (R-KS) on the Armenian Genocide resolution.
The Armenian Assembly of America Summer Internship Program has
been celebrated and strongly supported by the Armenian community with major
gifts from the Richard Tufenkian Memorial Fund, the John Hanessian Scholarship
Fund, the Armen Astarjian Scholarship Fund, the Ohanian Memorial Fund, Ann
Hintlian, Ann Nahigian, James and Connie Melikian, the Knights of Vartan, the
Estate of Haig J. Boyadjian, and the Estate of George Judge Karabedian (George
Kay), as well as generous contributions in memory of former Assembly Board
Members Dr. Lionel Galstaun, Peter Kezirian, and John O'Connor. In 2003, the
Armenian Assembly's Summer Internship Program was renamed in honor of Aram and
Florence Terjenian and Annie Thomas after the announcement of their
pace-setting $1 million donation to the program.
To find out more about the 2019 summer interns' journey in
Washington, D.C., follow the Assembly's Intern Blog, Facebook, Instagram, and
Twitter. Stay tuned for updates on the Armenian Assembly's Summer Internship Program
in Armenia.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the
largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3)
tax-exempt membership organization.
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Photo Caption 1: Armenian Assembly Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny and Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan with the 2019
internship class after a presentation on advocacy
Photo Caption 2: 2019 Terjenian-Thomas Assembly interns at the
Congressional Armenian Staffers Association picnic on the National Mall
Photo Caption 3: 2019 Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program
participants attended a lecture at The George Washington University Law School
taught by Visiting Associate Professor of Law Aram Gavoor
Photo Caption 4: 2019 Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program
participants with House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Congressman
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Available online: https://armenian-assembly.org/2019/06/27/armenian-assembly-kicks-off-2019-summer-internship-program/
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