Tossonian, Sarkissian Join ANCA-WR Fall 2013 Internship Program
September 23, 2013The Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region announced last week
the acceptance of Levon Shant Tossonian and Alina Sarkissian to the ANCA-WR Fall Internship.
For the next 15 weeks, Tossonian and Sarkissian will learn the nuts and bolts of community organizing
through weekly workshops and lectures with community leaders, assignments ranging from assisting
organizational committees that implement policy, programs and events to registering community members
to vote and working with local chapters on issues that affect the Armenian-American community.
“We are excited to have Levon and Alina join the ANCA-WR ranks through the internship program and are
confident that in the next 15 weeks their professional, community organizing, networking, fundraising, and
marketing skills will develop intuitively as the program offers an array of opportunities in those specific areas,”
stated ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan.
Sarkissian, a junior at CSUN, looks forward to the tough issues the internship will challenge her to assess.
“I am always seeking opportunities that will help me grow as an intellectual and as a proud Armenian; I am
thrilled to be working for an organization that can cater to both of those passions,” Sarkissian said. In her time
at CSUN, the Seattle-born business student has served in numerous leadership positions for her university,
including Vice President of the University Ambassadors program and President of the Armenian Students Association.
She is currently an elected official in the school’s Associated Students Government division, and was recently
sponsored to speak at a women’s leadership conference in Washington, D.C.
Tossonian hails from the hills of Glendale. Having just received his Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in
Political Science from UCLA, Levon hopes to pursue a postgraduate degree in Public Policy and further his
career aspirations in public affairs. “I am absolutely thrilled at the opportunity to convert what I have learned
in the lecture hall into a hands-on experience in the professional world. With this internship I hope to catch a
glimpse of how the grassroots community is mobilized, how its resources are utilized, and how policy is drafted
and thereupon effected at the municipal, state, and federal levels of government,” remarks Tossonian. No stranger
to involvement within the community, Tossonian is also a member of the Burbank <> Chapter of the
Armenian Youth Federation, and is a former Homenetmen scout.
Established in summer 2006, the ANCA Western Region Internship Program is a selective part-time leadership
program, which introduces high school seniors, college students, and recent college graduates to all aspects of
the public affairs arena. The program provides an opportunity for student leaders and activists to gain an in-depth
understanding of the American political system, Armenian-American issues and advocacy efforts on the local, state
and federal levels.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American
grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters,
and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR
advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
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