ANCA Rising Leaders Program in Washington, DC Postponed Due to Coronavirus Concerns

New Dates for Armenian American Career Development and Civic Engagement Program to be Announced Soon

March 10, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) announced today that it has postponed the second annual Rising Leaders: Career Development and Civic Education program, in order to ensure the health and safety of participants during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The program was originally scheduled for March 22nd to 24th in Washington, DC.

The ANCA, in coordination with cosponsors Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Eastern and Western U.S. and the Georgetown University Armenian Students Association (Georgetown ASA), and program benefactor, the Ararat Foundation Shahinian Educational Fund, will be announcing new dates shortly.

“The health and safety of Armenian American university students participating in our ANCA Rising Leaders Program is paramount, and so, out of an abundance of caution, we are postponing the program,” said ANCA Programs Director Sipan Ohannessian. “We would like to thank all those who have registered for the program and look forward to ensuring your participation at a future time. In the interim, we will continue to work with Armenian American university students remotely to assist in their career development goals and efforts to advance Armenian American community priorities.”

The ANCA Rising Leaders is a three-day Washington, DC program devoted to empowering youth, exploring policy, politics and media careers, and experiencing life in the nation’s capital. Over 30 students from top universities and high schools across the U.S. traveled to the nation’s capital to take part in the inaugural 2019 Rising Leaders Program, which was made possible, in large part, through a generous contribution by the Ararat Foundation Shahinian Educational Fund.

The program included a full day of interactive presentations by the ANCA Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program Advisory Committee (CGPAC) focusing on career search fundamentals from resume preparation and networking 101 to an overview of the Washington, DC internship and job market. It also featured meetings with policy, politics, and media professionals, including current and former federal agency and Congressional staff, to discuss careers in the nation’s capital. ANCA team members then ran an extended seminar focusing on advancing community priorities, which was capped off with a full day of Capitol Hill discussions with Members of Congress and staff on strengthening U.S.-Armenia ties, supporting Artsakh freedom and securing justice for the Armenian Genocide.

For more information regarding the program, email RisingLeaders@anca.org.

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