Washington, DC – Entering their third week, ANCA Leo Sarkisian Eastern Region interns Nyree Naljian and Alidz Oshagan have gone above and beyond the expectations of most summer interns. While spending their days at the ANCA office, both have attended functions on Capitol Hill, visited Congressional offices, and worked on the various projects and tasks at hand reported the Armenian National Committee of America, Eastern Region (ANCA-ER).

“We are so honored to have two young, bright, and motivated activists from the eastern region interning in the office this summer. Having an opportunity to meet all seven interns, it is clear that each one of them brings their own expertise to the organization and work collectively to strengthen our cause,” commented ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Karine Birazian.

Naljian, a New Jersey native, is a junior at Pace University in the Masters program for Business Accounting. She applied for the internship to gain first hand experience in the American political system while becoming more involved with Armenian issues.

“So far this internship has been even more than what I expected. I have been to Capitol Hill for several occasions, participated in lectures with Armenian American leaders and professionals from various fields, and also have met key figures in the House of Representatives and Senate including the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi,” commented Naljian.

Oshagan, originally from Michigan, is a sophomore at University of Wisconsin Madison, and is majoring is Sociology, with plans to attend law school in the future. She applied to the internship to increase her knowledge on how a grassroots organization operates. Oshagan and Birazian even spent her second day on Capitol Hill distributing a magazine created by the North Farmington School District to help raise awareness about genocide, to the entire Michigan Congressional delegation.

“The ANCA Leo Sarkisian internship has allowed me to contribute to the Armenian cause in a hands-on way that I have not been able to do in the past. I also have the opportunity here to go to Capitol Hill and meet with staffers which helps build communication skills regarding informing offices about Armenian issues,” commented Oshagan.

Naljian and Oshagan have spent their first few weeks in the office working on several projects, including advocacy outreach to help with H. Res. 106 (the Armenian Genocide resolution), participating in lectures by prominent individuals, attending Congressional Baseball games, as well as working on their own personal projects which focus on advancing the Armenian cause.

Now in its 23rd year, the ANCA LSI Program provides student leaders and activists an opportunity to participate in an intensive 8-week program designed to give them the tools necessary to effectively advance issues of concern to the Armenian American community on the federal, state and local level. The LSI Program is a competitive and prestigious internship program and is widely considered to be the best program of its kind for Armenian American college students.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Photo Captions:
Photo 1: Nyree Naljian
Photo 2: Alidz Oshagan