By: Vahe Assarian

I woke up this morning thinking I was going to have a heart attack within the first hour of my first day. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. About two hours after my workday started, the phone rang and I felt my heart start beating faster and faster. Just as I reached over to grab the telephone, one of the other interns picked up the line. My first day at ANCA has officially started!

I am generally not a shy person, but I am bad with public speaking. The phone calls we receive in the office scare me because I feel like I am giving a speech and if I make a mistake I will feel humiliated. This is a fear I hope will surpass with some practice.

Monday came and went with no heart attack. This was mostly because I didn’t get a chance to pick up any phone calls.

Tuesday, on the other hand, I wasn’t so lucky. I answered the phone for the first time and initially faltered, but recovered quickly and successfully transfer the call. At the end of the call I was proud to have answered my first telephone call as an ANCA Western Region executive intern.

The most difficult aspect for me at this time is remembering the names of important contacts that work with ANCA. We’ve been given a list of 40 names whose calls we are to transfer directly without asking too many questions. Three days into the internship, I’ve managed to memorize one quarter of the list. I hope to memorize the entire list within the next few days!