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Festivities in Honor of the AGBU NY Summer Internship 25th Anniv.

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  • Festivities in Honor of the AGBU NY Summer Internship 25th Anniv.

    AGBU Press Office
    55 East 59th Street
    New York, NY 10022-1112
    Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
    Fax: 212.319.6507
    Email: [email protected]
    Website: www.agbu.org

    PRESS RELEASE

    Monday, July 30, 2012

    Hundreds Gather for Weekend of Festivities in Honor of the AGBU New
    York Summer Internship Program's 25th Anniversary

    Milestone Occasion Marked by a Series of Reunions and Fundraisers that
    Brought in Over $100,000 for Internship Scholarship Fund

    For twenty five years, the AGBU New York Summer Internship Program
    (NYSIP) has been creating professional development opportunities and
    lasting memories, and this weekend's silver jubilee celebrations gave
    alumni and supporters even more to look back on. From Friday, July 20
    to Sunday, July 22, 2012, hundreds gathered in the city to reconnect
    with old friends, learn about new NYSIP initiatives, and honor all who
    have made the program possible. The highlight event was the gala on
    Saturday, July 21, 2012, which was attended by AGBU President Berge
    Setrakian and Mrs. Vera Setrakian; Central Board members M. Michael
    Ansour, Nazareth Festekjian and Sarkis Jebejian; His Excellency Garen
    Nazarian, Armenia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations,
    and Mrs. Nana Nazarian; Very Reverend Father Simeon Odabashian,
    Diocesan Vicar, and Reverend Father Mardiros Chevian, Dean of the
    Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America; and NYSIP Committee
    Co-Chair Raffi Balian.

    The festivities began at a Friday night mixer that gave close to 340
    alumni and friends the first opportunity to greet familiar
    faces. Organized by the AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York
    (YPGNY) and held at the popular lounge, Pranna, the event also served
    as a fundraiser benefitting NYSIP scholarships, which enable deserving
    students to participate in the program.

    The following afternoon, more intimate gatherings were held across
    Manhattan, as individual NYSIP classes came together for their own
    mini reunions. Different groups spanning generations met at sites they
    had frequented during their NYSIP summer to reminisce about
    discovering the city together and the defining moments that helped
    them pave their career paths.

    On the night of the much-anticipated gala, over 275 guests filled the
    halls of the downtown venue, Battery Gardens. Against a backdrop of
    New York City landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis
    Island, Serge Kassardjian, the Chair of the 25th Anniversary Planning
    Committee and Summer Internship Program Committee member, delivered
    the welcoming remarks. He thanked all who had travelled from Brazil,
    Canada, France, Lebanon, South Africa and Switzerland, in addition to
    several US cities, to take part in the celebration. Himself a former
    intern from 2000, Kassardjian said, `I know I speak for everyone who
    has completed or been affiliated with this program when I say it
    provides a key to a unique Armenian community that is both a
    professional network and international group of lifelong friends.'
    Kassardjian then introduced Father Odabashian, who spoke on behalf of
    the Eastern Diocese Primate, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, noting that
    over the past five years, the Diocese has benefitted from its
    partnership with AGBU to host the Diocesan interns.

    It was the NYSIP alumni, representing nearly half of the attendees,
    who were full of praise for the event's honorees - all of whom were
    chosen by the former interns comprising the NYSIP 25th Anniversary
    Celebration Committee. Their sentiments were echoed by Raffi Balian,
    Co-Chair of the Summer Internship Program Committee, as he led the
    subsequent presentation of awards. Mr. Balian stated, `Tonight, we
    honor three important categories of individuals, who have inspired us
    through their examples. First, we are grateful to our founders, Rita
    and Vartkess Balian, who volunteered countless hours and raised
    significant funds for over 20 years to turn their vision into reality,
    building a program that has helped over 800 Armenians from around the
    world to advance in their careers. Second, we are thankful to the
    Director of Central Board Programs, Anita Anserian, who serves with
    devotion and dedication as a tireless advocate for the program and our
    youth. And finally, we recognize the committed individuals who have
    acted as supervisors for six or more years.'

    The first awards presenter, 2006 alumna Ella Baroyan, acknowledged the
    ten supervisors who have given scores of students both the skills and
    the confidence to start their careers, namely: Gregory Amerkanian
    (Merrill Lynch senior vice president), Anna Bruno (AXA Advisors
    financial consultant), Ted Candella (Merrill Lynch senior financial
    advisor), Yervant Demirjian (Interaudi Bank managing director),
    Dr. James Giglio (Columbia University Medical Center emergency room
    associate clinical professor), Dr. Edgar Housepian (Columbia
    University Medical Center former professor of Neurological Surgery),
    Movses Hovsepian (New York University Langone Medical Center pharmacy
    supervisor), Chris Parnagian (O'Hare Parnagian LLP attorney), Patrick
    Sarkissian (SarkissianMason founder/CEO), and Emmanuel Tchividjian
    (Ruder Finn ethics officer). Reflecting upon the honor, Mr. Candella
    commented, `AGBU has been a special relationship for me. I am proud to
    be a part of an organization that puts so much time, effort, energy
    and financial resources behind their leaders of tomorrow. I have
    mentored many hard working, intelligent, dedicated students from AGBU
    that I consider to be of the highest caliber, and I only wish I had
    the same opportunity to be a part of a program like this when I was in
    school.'

    Following the supervisors' awards ceremony, a special tribute was paid
    to Anita Anserian, the AGBU Director of Central Board Programs, for
    her numerous years of dedication not only to NYSIP but to all of the
    organization's youth initiatives. Presenter Melania Melikian (NYSIP
    2008) applauded Mrs. Anserian's continuous and passionate championing
    of AGBU's younger constituents, acting as a strong role model for all
    youth. Taking the podium, Mrs. Anserian explained that NYSIP has
    always been a labor of love, and that she takes great pleasure from
    meeting the new interns year after year, and forming a special bond
    with every one. Addressing all NYSIP participants, she stated, `Each
    year, I wait anxiously for June to come so that I can meet that
    summer's interns. You should know how much I enjoy getting to know
    each of you throughout the program. It gives me immense pride to see
    you grow as individuals by the end of each session, and to continue to
    watch you prosper and give back to AGBU in the years that follow..'

    Each intern that passes through NYSIP's doors knows that their
    experience would not have been possible without Rita and Vartkess?
    Balian, the program's visionary co-founders and Emeritus Life
    Chairpersons. Together, Mr. and Mrs. Balian established and managed an
    unprecedented initiative. Before bestowing Mrs. Balian with an
    honorary gift, Alexis Halejian (NYSIP 2005) recounted the many ways
    they led NYSIP's remarkable growth, helping it expand from its first
    year, when it hosted 13 students, to a total of 800 accomplished young
    leaders today. To a standing ovation, Mrs. Balian addressed the
    guests, stating: `My husband Vartkess and I initiated the New York
    Summer Internship Program in 1987, the year he became President of
    AGBU's Central Committee of America, to give Armenian students career
    and life-enhancing opportunities. I will always be grateful to the
    members of the President's Club who helped the program sustain itself
    for over 20 years and build a $750,000 endowment, of which Vartkess
    and I were honored to contribute personally $150,000. I am happy to
    see that our alumni have helped rejuvenate AGBU and become the
    backbone of the program, as mentors and donors. It is time for the
    alumni to now take on the role that the President's Club had played
    for so many years by raising the funds needed to maintain the
    program.'

    As the evening unfolded, AGBU President Berge Setrakian took the
    opportunity to share his vision of an even brighter future for NYSIP -
    one that depends on an active alumni base. Appealing to the program's
    recent interns, he urged, `You have reaped the many benefits of this
    unique initiative, and future generations of NYSIP participants will
    turn to you for support as they pursue their own aspirations. It is
    your responsibility, your duty, to fill a void by rising to leadership
    positions in top institutions around the world. The future of NYSIP,
    and AGBU as a whole, lies in your capable hands, and I look forward to
    watching your ideas manifest.' Mr. Setrakian also acknowledged the
    great memory of Mr. Balian, whose legacy will always remain strong.

    Early in the night, guests learned about NYSIP's recent efforts to
    broaden its reach through a newly unveiled website, regular
    newsletters, alumni engagement activities, and an alumni
    directory. Yet, the greatest reveal came as the evening drew to a
    close, when the total amount of funds raised to benefit NYSIP was
    announced: an extraordinary $100,000. As Sarkis Jebejian, NYSIP
    Co-Chair, commented, `The success of the Internship Programs would not
    be possible without the financial investment by AGBU. The tremendous
    support we received from friends and alumni in the weeks leading up to
    the anniversary weekend was incredible. We hope this celebration is
    the start of a tight-knit network of alumni engaged in community life
    and ready to give back to the Internship Programs.' The funds will be
    allocated to providing financial assistance for high-achieving
    students accepted to NYSIP, ensuring that the program will continue to
    thrive over the next quarter century and beyond.

    The AGBU NYSIP 25th Anniversary celebrations were organized by the
    Event Planning Committee, which included: William Albrecht, Raffi
    Aynilian, Robin Barone, Ella Baroyan, Nicholas Burdman, Stephanie
    Dolik, Alexis Halejian, Michael Hovsepian, Serge Kassardjian
    (Chairperson), Arpiné Kocharian, Vadim Krisyan, Melania Melikian,
    Ani Minassian, Alex Nalbandian, Amy Parks and Tania Voskertchian, in
    collaboration with Ani Manoukian.

    To learn more about AGBU's Internship Program, please visit:
    http://agbu-internship.org/.

    Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest
    non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
    preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
    educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
    lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

    For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please
    visit www.agbu.org.

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