As the third week of my internship for the ANCA-WR summer program comes to a close, I volunteered at the annual Navasartian games, made better media reports and learned some interesting information on the history of the ANCA-WR. The Annual Navasartian Games launched in East Los Angles in 1975, now it boasts the participation of 300 teams, 6,000 athletes, and 2000 scouts and attracts over 35,000 spectators over a period of eight weeks each year. It felt good informing local Armenians on issues dealing with Hai Tahd and getting them registered to vote.
As the weeks pass for the internship with the ANCA-WR, the workload gets heavier and my assignments get more challenging. I had trouble with my media reports in the first two weeks but; now I am getting better at it. I realize I have a lot to learn, but I am willing to do what ever it takes to make to sure I succeed in any obstacle given to me. This last weekend at the Navasartian Games brought some great memories of my childhood. I was an active member of the Pasadena Azadamard Chapter from the age of 6-12 years old. I remember I used to know every song that was ever sung by Karnig Sarkisian at the age of 10. The Navasartian Games are a place for people of Armenian descent to be with friends, family and enjoy what this great culture has to offer.
The research for my State Affairs project is going pretty good. I am learning a lot about the ANCA’s historical involvement at State level. I learned that ANCA was preceded by the American Committee for the Independence of Armenia (ACIA). The involvement of the ANCA at the state level consists of Genocide Recognition, by publishing testimony, postition papers, press releases, fact sheets, and regional newsletters. I also learned the ANCA regularly endorses candidates, organizes voter registration drives, and distributes Candidate Questionnaires, Congressional Report Cards and Election Guides to Armenian American voters. These are some of the amazing things I am learning about the ANCA. I hope my research continues to progress and I get a better overall understand of the ANCA and State Affairs.
