Fwd: Summer Internship Program Welcomed by Armenia’s Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 1, 2019

Contact: Danielle
Saroyan

Telephone:
(202) 393-3434

Web: www.aaainc.org

 

SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WELCOMED
BY ARMENIA’S SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT ARARAT MIRZOYAN

 

YEREVAN, ARMENIA – The Armenian Assembly of America
(Assembly) eight-week internship program, based in Yerevan, offers
international work experience opportunities, promotes better understanding of
the socio-political situation in the region, and introduces participants to
life in Armenia through visiting cultural sites, participating in educational
activities, and meeting with civil society and political leaders.

 

During the
first week of the Assembly’s Summer Internship Program (SIP) in Armenia, participants
toured the National Assembly of Armenia, and watched from the gallery part of a
morning session on the budget, during which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and
members of the government were present. At the beginning of the session,
Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan welcomed the Armenian Assembly of America
Internship Program participants to the Parliament. Afterwards, the interns met
with two members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, Tatevik
Hayrapetyan and Sos Avetisyan.

 

“Our 2019
group of remarkable and impressive college-age students are engaged and open to
discovering, exploring and embracing all that Armenia has to offer, including active
participation during meetings, with very thoughtful questions leading to
fascinating discussions with leaders here,” Assembly Regional Director Arpi Vartanian
said.

 

The Armenian Assembly Summer Internship Program in Yerevan class
of 2019 includes:

·        
Emily Ekshian, from Pasadena, CA, attends the University of
California, Berkeley studying political economy and Armenian language &
literature, with a minor in human rights. She is interning at the Armenian
Genocide Museum-Institute and Path of Law NGO, with former Artsakh Ombudsman
Ruben Melikyan and former Commission on Ethics of High-Ranking Officials of
Armenia Chairperson Siranush Sahakyan.

·        
Megan Jakob, from Lexington, MA, studied economics & macroeconomics
and Spanish language & culture at University of Massachusetts, Amherst and
will be transferring to the University of Virginia in the College of Arts and
Sciences. She is interning at the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the City
of Smile Foundation, which supports children with cancer.

·        
Adrian Kromelian, from Washington, D.C., attends Marymount
University in Virginia studying molecular & cellular biology. He is
interning at the Institute of Molecular Biology of the National Academy of
Sciences of the Republic of Armenia and the Pirouzyan Medical Center.

·        
Adriana Maljanian, from Altadena, CA, attends Hillsdale College in
Michigan studying history. She is interning at the AMAP Human Development NGO
and the Matenadaran, The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts

·        
Michelle Ohanian, from North Hollywood, CA, attends the University
of California, Los Angeles studying history. She is interning with the Permanent
Representation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) in Armenia.

·        
Christopher Tusan, from Laguna Niguel, CA, is a recent graduate of
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He is interning with YerevanRide,
a commuting alternative in Armenia’s capital city providing clean, affordable,
and effective methods of transportation.

·        
Hagop Zakaryan, from Anaheim, CA, attends California State
University of Fullerton studying political science, with a focus on law and
international relations. He is interning with the Path of Law NGO, working for
former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan and former Commission on Ethics of
High-Ranking Officials of Armenia Chairperson Siranush Sahakyan.

 

“It is a
great pleasure and so gratifying to be part of the Armenian Assembly team as the
Summer Internship Program Coordinator. I am delighted to be part of this
comprehensive program that promotes the integration of Armenian American students
into modern Armenian society, provides them a unique opportunity to better
understand the current situation in Armenia and Artsakh, and helps our internship
participants reconnect with their roots,” Assembly Summer Internship Program
Coordinator Anna Avagyan said.

 

The summer
internship program participants have met with Security Council of Armenia
Secretary Armen Grigoryan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh
Sinanyan and his Chief of Staff Sara Anjargolian, Regional Studies Center
Director Richard Giragosian, Maro Matosian of the Women’s Support Center, and former
Armenian Assembly SIP intern alumna (class of 2007) and founder of Hayrenaser
Organization Nelli Martirosyan. Hayrenaser contributes to the preservation and
development of Armenia’s independent statehood by identifying and addressing
critical challenges, and is currently rebuilding and expanding the school in
Moshatagh Village in Artsakh.

 

Interns were
given a behind-the-scenes tour of ArmComedy, the first satiric news site in
Armenia, and met hosts Narek Margaryan and Sergey Sargsyan. The SIP
participants also had the opportunity to watch a taping of the show, and guest
star briefly at the end of the episode.

 

The Armenian
Assembly visited Karin Village, the site of the Armenia Tree Project's (ATP)
first nursery in Armenia, and invited Assembly Life Trustee Flora Dunaians and
her family to join. Together, they planted ash trees at Ashtarak Park and learned
about ATP's amazing work. Today, 25 years since its establishment, with all its
nurseries, community tree plantings, and strong worldwide support, ATP has
planted close to 6 million trees.

 

As part of
their excursions around Armenia, interns rode the Wings of Tatev and visited the
Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum, Charents Arch, Geghard Monastery, Garni
Temple, Etchmiadzin, Khor Virap, Lake Sevan and Sevan Monastery, Matenadaran, Noravank
Monastery, Sardarapat Memorial Complex and Ethnography Museum, Zvartnots
Cathedral, and more. They also traveled to Saralanj Village in the Kotayk
Region to help build a home through the Fuller Center for Housing.

 

SIP interns recently
returned from Artsakh, where they met with President Bako Sahakyan, National
Assembly Speaker Ashot Ghoulian, Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan, Ombudsman Artak
Beglaryan, and Head of the Kashatagh Regional Administration Stepan Sargsyan.
At The HALO Trust, interns received a sombering briefing on the demining
efforts taking place.

 

In Artsakh,
interns also visited Shushi, Tigranakert, Tatik-Papik, the newly-consecrated
Church of the Intercession in Stepanakert, Gandzasar Monastery, and Dadivank
Monastery. They had the opportunity to try their hand at making carpets at
Karabakh Carpet, and more.

 

To find out
more about the 2019 summer interns' journey in Armenia and see more photos,
follow the Assembly's accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

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.

 

###

 

NR#: 2019-029

 

Photo
Caption 1 & 2: Armenian Assembly of America Summer Internship Program (SIP)
participants at the National Assembly of Armenia

Photo
Caption 3: Armenian Assembly of America SIP participants with Armenia's Security
Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan

Photo
Caption 4: Armenia Assembly of America SIP participants with former Armenian
Assembly SIP intern alumna (class of 2007) Nelli Martirosyan

Photo
Caption 5: Armenian Assembly of America SIP participants with ArmComedy hosts
Narek Margaryan and Sergey Sargsyan

Photo
Caption 6: Armenian Assembly of America SIP participants with Armenian Assembly
Life Trustee Flora Dunaians and her family planting trees at Ashtarak Park
through the Armenia Tree Project

Photo
Caption 7: Armenian Assembly of America SIP participants with Artsakh President
Bako Sahakyan and Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan

 

Available
online: https://armenian-assembly.org/2019/08/01/summer-internship-program-welcomed-by-armenias-speaker-of-parliament-ararat-mirzoyan/