GLENDALE, CA – The ANCA-WR is proud to welcome three dedicated and bright students, Hasmik Burushyan, Isabel Grigoryan, and Adrine Keosian to the Winter 2017 Internship Program session.

“The ANCA-WR Internship Program continues to be one of the most critical components of our work on the regional level as it prepares and hones the next generation of our community’s leaders,” commented ANCA-WR Executive Director, Elen Asatryan. “We are excited to welcome Adrine, Hasmik, and Isabel into the ANCA family and look forward to providing them tools to succeed and a true hands-on experience in grassroots organizing and public policy,” added Asatryan.

Burushyan, a recent graduate from Herbert Hoover High School and a political science student at Glendale Community College, comes from the ranks of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Within the AYF, she currently chairs the AYF Glendale “Roupen” chapter social and fundraising committee and dedicates her time to assisting other committees including the Hye Tahd Council and the United Human Rights Council. As an active member in GCC’s Armenian Student Association (ASA), Burushyan was also recently appointed the ALL-ASA representative for the college and has previously volunteered on political campaigns. Her passions include international human rights affairs and economic development in Armenia.

“Getting involved with the ANCA-WR and participating in the internship program serves as an outlet to display my devotion to the Armenian Cause,” said Burushyan. “The experiences that I have already and will continue to obtain from the internship will be a template of efficient ingenuity in management and community improvement,” she continued.  

Raised in Glendale, Grigoryan has worked with an extensive number of non-profit organizations revolving local politics and social justice. As a Herbert Hoover High School senior, she found her passion in fighting for women’s and minority rights in her community and launched her own feminist newsletter, From Margin to Center, for and by young girls of color while conducting social justice seminars for teens in LA.  She was the Engagement Advocate at the YWCA of Glendale, where she created numerous informational brochures, a child care curriculum, and launched the first self care kit at the YWCA and the online intern for the Gender Spectrum council and CURB, a California based nonprofit working against the prison industrial complex. On top of her work for social justice, Grigoryan was the head intern for the Ardy Kassakhian State Assembly campaign and the online press secretary for a City Council race in LA.

“Through my work at the ANCA-WR, I hope to build lifelong relationships with individuals for future work in political advocacy and have the opportunity to help Armenian women, and recognize the struggles we face,” said Grigoryan.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Keosian is currently a junior at UCLA, where she studies communication and is an active member of the UCLA Armenian Students Association..  Keosian has previously interned at the Los Angeles Superior Court, where she researched and filed court documents, as well as assisted with discovery and drafted memoranda addressing the merits of a case.  Keosian has also served as a teacher’s assistant at the John Tracy Clinic at USC, where she helped educate children with hearing loss and taught them how to communicate more efficiently within their given restrictions.  

“By the end of this program, I hope to achieve a stronger sense of knowledge on Armenian-American issues and how they are dealt with on a local and state level.” said Keosian. “I hope to participate in real committee meetings as well as meet elected officials who have made world wide impacts,” she continued.   

College students or recent college graduates interested in learning more or applying to the ANCA-WR Internship Program may do so online at www.ancawr.org/internship.  Applications are accepted year-round. Deadline for the spring session is March 20, 2017.

Established in summer 2006, the ANCA Western Region Internship Program is a selective part-time leadership program, which introduces 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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