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PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.aaainc.org/
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA SUMMER INTERN TESTIMONIAL
Hamlet Tamazian
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
What it means to be a student has been a question that I have asked myself
from early on in my life. When I was younger, I thought it meant going to
school and doing my homework; as I grew up I realized more and more that
learning takes place more outside of classrooms than inside. I grew up in
Yerevan, Armenia where I had family to guide me through the early stages of
my personal and academic development. Upon graduation, I had to accept
moving away from them and starting the next chapter of my life in Malibu,
California where I attend Pepperdine University and study International
Business and Conflict Management. Moving away from home meant having to
learn quickly and adapt to changes on my feet. However, no matter how
prepared you are on your own and how well you perform in school, being a
student at higher levels of education has also come to mean being an
intern. Internships have become the main source of practical experience for
students, and finding a well-rounded, educational internship is even more
difficult. In my own search I looked for opportunities where I could learn
about fields related to my areas of study; where I could benefit from the
people I work with and the location of my office; where my tasks would
involve issues I care about; where the things I learn can create a platform
of applicable skills that I will use for the rest of my life; and why not,
an internship where I can better connect with people from my community.
After completing the Terjenian-Thomas Summer Internship in Washington, D.C.
at the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly), I can say that I found
these things and much, much more.
Flying out to D.C., I didn't know what to expect from the largest,
independent Armenian-American advocacy organization, I just knew that the
city I'd live in would be enough for me to justify my trip. I was excited
to live in our nation's capital, arguably the center of the political
world. I was proud that I would walk on the same streets and visit the same
sites that so many important people have in America's history. Yet, I never
thought that I'd have the privilege to meet and have conversations with
important political figures. The Assembly internship's Capitol Idea's and
Lecture Series programs allowed us to sit down and meet with Senator
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ),
Ed Royce (R-CA), Jeff Denham (R-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), and Frank Wolf
(R-VA). We also met and discussed Armenian and other issues with staff
members of the Armenia and Caucasus Desk at the Department of State and the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Meeting such high ranking officials has
provided me and the other interns a window through which to see our
government and the way it functions in a more professional light.
Additionally, we had opportunities to raise issues and ask questions
regarding ourselves and our respective communities, a privilege most
students do not get to enjoy. Our meetings with individuals have been
supplemented by tours of important government buildings such as the State
Department, World Bank, the U.S. Treasury and the Library of Congress.
On a more domestic front, the other interns and I had opportunities to meet
prominent members of the Armenian community. This group included leaders
such as Armenian specialist at the Library of Congress Dr. Levon Avdoyan;
Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies Mark Krikorian;
Legate of the Eastern Armenian Diocese of America Archbishop Vicken
Aykazian; Program Manager at U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs
and Border Protection Noris Balabanian; Director at U.S.-Russia Civil
Society Partnership Program at the Eurasia Foundation Laurens Ayvazian;
Attorney at U.S. Department of Justice Aram Gavoor; Founder, President, and
CEO of the Armenian American Cultural Association, Inc. Rita Balian, and
many others. Discussing their views on Armenian issues and the future of
our people was a thrilling, invigorating, and motivating experience.
Meeting individuals of our nation who have worked hard and succeeded in a
variety of our world's current competitive fields convinces more than
anything else, that we are a capable people. With so many opportunities
available in this great nation, what better place is there for us to reach
our fullest potential?
With this in mind, I have been working at the Assembly for nearly two
months now in different capacities. First, I was assigned to work with the
Assembly's Executive Director Bryan Ardouny and the Central and Eastern
European Coalition (CEEC), a conglomerate of Eastern European advocacy
groups that together raise awareness of issues regarding the region. At the
CEEC I studied the current needs and political environments of the region,
and ultimately helped organize a foreign policy forum regarding the
benefits of promoting Trans-Atlantic trade between Central and Eastern
European countries and the U.S. Alongside my CEEC projects, I worked with
the Assembly's Communications Director Taniel Koushakjian and my fellow
intern Robert Avakian on various projects. Mainly, our projects regarded
attending hearings and briefings at think-tanks and on Capitol HIll, using
social media effectively, analyzing and writing policy papers, and keeping
Congress and the Armenian-American community up-to-date on a variety of
issues. No matter where or with whom I worked throughout my time here, I am
happy that all of my experiences gave me new skills which will be useful
later in life.
As I my last week approached and I prepared to leave, I take with me all
the things I have learned from my workplace, but more importantly, I will
take with me priceless memories from my two months in our nation's capital.
Perhaps as valuable as the skills one acquires in D.C. are the connections
one makes. These connections appear in forms of casual acquaintances,
professional relationships, high-ranking individuals, and most importantly
personal friendships. Friendships we made during an experience as unique as
this internship promise to be fruitful and long-lasting. Having assembled a
diverse group of like-minded American-Armenians, the Armenian Assembly of
America created bridges connecting over a dozen other interns from around
the world. Coming from all corners of the U.S.A., Canada, Armenia, and even
Nagorno-Karabakh, groups like ours have the potential to express a united
voice of the Armenian people. It is my great hope that such initiatives
continue, and the friendships within our group only strengthen. From here
on, as every student must, we will take the lessons we learned in this
internship and use them to pave the way of our future endeavors. I am
happy to say that my time here was very well spent and I thank the Armenian
Assembly of America for providing this life altering experience to me and
the entire 2013 class.
Available online at: http://bit.ly/15jIRQE
You can read more about the Armenian Assembly of America Terjenian-Thomas
Summer Internship Program in Washington, D.C. on the Assembly intern blog:
http://armenianassemblyinternship.tumblr.com/
From: Baghdasarian
Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.aaainc.org/
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA SUMMER INTERN TESTIMONIAL
Hamlet Tamazian
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
What it means to be a student has been a question that I have asked myself
from early on in my life. When I was younger, I thought it meant going to
school and doing my homework; as I grew up I realized more and more that
learning takes place more outside of classrooms than inside. I grew up in
Yerevan, Armenia where I had family to guide me through the early stages of
my personal and academic development. Upon graduation, I had to accept
moving away from them and starting the next chapter of my life in Malibu,
California where I attend Pepperdine University and study International
Business and Conflict Management. Moving away from home meant having to
learn quickly and adapt to changes on my feet. However, no matter how
prepared you are on your own and how well you perform in school, being a
student at higher levels of education has also come to mean being an
intern. Internships have become the main source of practical experience for
students, and finding a well-rounded, educational internship is even more
difficult. In my own search I looked for opportunities where I could learn
about fields related to my areas of study; where I could benefit from the
people I work with and the location of my office; where my tasks would
involve issues I care about; where the things I learn can create a platform
of applicable skills that I will use for the rest of my life; and why not,
an internship where I can better connect with people from my community.
After completing the Terjenian-Thomas Summer Internship in Washington, D.C.
at the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly), I can say that I found
these things and much, much more.
Flying out to D.C., I didn't know what to expect from the largest,
independent Armenian-American advocacy organization, I just knew that the
city I'd live in would be enough for me to justify my trip. I was excited
to live in our nation's capital, arguably the center of the political
world. I was proud that I would walk on the same streets and visit the same
sites that so many important people have in America's history. Yet, I never
thought that I'd have the privilege to meet and have conversations with
important political figures. The Assembly internship's Capitol Idea's and
Lecture Series programs allowed us to sit down and meet with Senator
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ),
Ed Royce (R-CA), Jeff Denham (R-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), and Frank Wolf
(R-VA). We also met and discussed Armenian and other issues with staff
members of the Armenia and Caucasus Desk at the Department of State and the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Meeting such high ranking officials has
provided me and the other interns a window through which to see our
government and the way it functions in a more professional light.
Additionally, we had opportunities to raise issues and ask questions
regarding ourselves and our respective communities, a privilege most
students do not get to enjoy. Our meetings with individuals have been
supplemented by tours of important government buildings such as the State
Department, World Bank, the U.S. Treasury and the Library of Congress.
On a more domestic front, the other interns and I had opportunities to meet
prominent members of the Armenian community. This group included leaders
such as Armenian specialist at the Library of Congress Dr. Levon Avdoyan;
Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies Mark Krikorian;
Legate of the Eastern Armenian Diocese of America Archbishop Vicken
Aykazian; Program Manager at U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs
and Border Protection Noris Balabanian; Director at U.S.-Russia Civil
Society Partnership Program at the Eurasia Foundation Laurens Ayvazian;
Attorney at U.S. Department of Justice Aram Gavoor; Founder, President, and
CEO of the Armenian American Cultural Association, Inc. Rita Balian, and
many others. Discussing their views on Armenian issues and the future of
our people was a thrilling, invigorating, and motivating experience.
Meeting individuals of our nation who have worked hard and succeeded in a
variety of our world's current competitive fields convinces more than
anything else, that we are a capable people. With so many opportunities
available in this great nation, what better place is there for us to reach
our fullest potential?
With this in mind, I have been working at the Assembly for nearly two
months now in different capacities. First, I was assigned to work with the
Assembly's Executive Director Bryan Ardouny and the Central and Eastern
European Coalition (CEEC), a conglomerate of Eastern European advocacy
groups that together raise awareness of issues regarding the region. At the
CEEC I studied the current needs and political environments of the region,
and ultimately helped organize a foreign policy forum regarding the
benefits of promoting Trans-Atlantic trade between Central and Eastern
European countries and the U.S. Alongside my CEEC projects, I worked with
the Assembly's Communications Director Taniel Koushakjian and my fellow
intern Robert Avakian on various projects. Mainly, our projects regarded
attending hearings and briefings at think-tanks and on Capitol HIll, using
social media effectively, analyzing and writing policy papers, and keeping
Congress and the Armenian-American community up-to-date on a variety of
issues. No matter where or with whom I worked throughout my time here, I am
happy that all of my experiences gave me new skills which will be useful
later in life.
As I my last week approached and I prepared to leave, I take with me all
the things I have learned from my workplace, but more importantly, I will
take with me priceless memories from my two months in our nation's capital.
Perhaps as valuable as the skills one acquires in D.C. are the connections
one makes. These connections appear in forms of casual acquaintances,
professional relationships, high-ranking individuals, and most importantly
personal friendships. Friendships we made during an experience as unique as
this internship promise to be fruitful and long-lasting. Having assembled a
diverse group of like-minded American-Armenians, the Armenian Assembly of
America created bridges connecting over a dozen other interns from around
the world. Coming from all corners of the U.S.A., Canada, Armenia, and even
Nagorno-Karabakh, groups like ours have the potential to express a united
voice of the Armenian people. It is my great hope that such initiatives
continue, and the friendships within our group only strengthen. From here
on, as every student must, we will take the lessons we learned in this
internship and use them to pave the way of our future endeavors. I am
happy to say that my time here was very well spent and I thank the Armenian
Assembly of America for providing this life altering experience to me and
the entire 2013 class.
Available online at: http://bit.ly/15jIRQE
You can read more about the Armenian Assembly of America Terjenian-Thomas
Summer Internship Program in Washington, D.C. on the Assembly intern blog:
http://armenianassemblyinternship.tumblr.com/
From: Baghdasarian