Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2004
CONTACT: Alex Karapetian
Email: [email protected]
AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WITH A DIFFERENCE: A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN WASHINGTON AND YEREVAN
Washington, DC – Since its founding in 1977, the Armenian Assembly’s
Summer Internship Program has provided an opportunity to over 800
talented college-aged students to gain valuable experience in the
nation’s capital.
Following the success of the Washington program, the Assembly launched
a similar program in Armenia in 1999 to give students an opportunity
to work in Armenian government agencies, meet with Armenian and Nagorno
Karabakh officials and tour historical sites throughout the region.
This past summer, Christine Heath of West Bloomfield, Michigan and
Alex Vartan of Fresno, California gained a better understanding of the
inner workings of Washington, while California-native Eliz Agopian,
a Columbia University graduate in Public Health, gained hands-on
experience in Yerevan.
“Prior to coming to Armenia, I felt removed from Armenia and my
Armenian culture. I had heard many stories that made me fearful that
I might be disappointed from my visit. Instead, Armenians amazed me
with their hospitality, cheerfulness and intelligence. I realized that
Armenia faces some substantial challenges, but also shows incredible
potential,” she said upon her return from her internship at the
Armenian Ministry of Health in Yerevan.
Heath is currently a junior at the University of Michigan studying
English and Communications. This past summer, she was placed as an
Assembly intern at United Press International (UPI) headquarters in
Washington, where her news reports were published on several occasions.
“I was given the chance to write and publish news stories for
an internationally recognized news wire service,” Heath said. “In
addition to this great work experience, I was given the chance to fully
explore my cultural background by spending three months living with
Armenian-American students who taught me so much about my heritage.”
Heath’s internship experience has not only expanded her knowledge of
Armenian history and culture, but has helped her reach her goal for
a career in media.
“I plan to continue my education in media studies and hope to someday
find my way back to Washington, DC,” she added.
Like Heath, Stanford University graduate and 2004 intern Alex Vartan
gained valuable work experience while interning at the Senate Banking
Committee.
“The internship program gave me an unparalleled view into the workings
of our government, and I was especially impressed that the Assembly was
able to place me in an internship that so closely matched my interests,
having a BS and MS in Management Science and Engineering,” Vartan said.
Not only did he gain valuable work experience, he, like all prior
interns, met with dozens of Congressional members, policy-makers and
academicians. “The wide variety of speakers and other outside events
rounded out a summer which exceeded my expectations in every way.”
The Assembly is accepting applications for the 2005 Terjenian-Thomas
Assembly Internship Program in Washington, DC and the continuing
program in Yerevan. The internship programs provide college students
of Armenian descent an opportunity to work in the nation’s capital
and Yerevan while taking part in a full schedule of educational,
cultural and social activities.
Students who are accepted to the program will be placed in internships
– typically in congressional offices, government agencies, think-thanks
and media outlets – based on their educational backgrounds and
work experiences. Interns also have the opportunity to meet with
Members of Congress, policy makers and noted academicians through the
popular Capitol Ideas and Lecture Series. Partial and full housing
scholarships are available to qualified applicants on a competitive
basis.
To learn more about both programs, download application
forms or apply online, go to the Assembly Web site at
The deadline for
completed application for the Washington program is January 15, 2005,
and Feb. 15, 2005 for the Yerevan program. For additional information
or assistance with the application process, please contact Alex
Karapetian, Intern Program Manager, at 202-393-3434 ext. 245 or via
e-mail [email protected].
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
NR#2004-110A
Photographs are available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following
links:
Caption: L to R: Assembly 2004 summer intern Alex Vartan with Intern
Program Manager Alex Karapetian in Washington, DC.
Caption: 2004 Intern Alum Christine Heath, far right, during a meeting
with Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). Also pictured is Assembly interns
Kristen Stamboulian, far left, and Laurie Sagherian.
Caption: L to R: Armenian Assembly 2004 Yerevan interns Eliz Agopian,
Marina Nazarbekian and Alexandra Kazarian.
–Boundary_(ID_ZiWCS8g56DsBY8vfHQhe1Q)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress