Los Angeles, CA – The Armenian National Committee – Western Region recently welcomed its participants for the autumn session of its Internship-Externship Program (ANC-WR IEP). Following the footsteps of the seven graduates of the summer session, four university students join the program which began in 2006.

The ANC-WR IEP autumn session participants include Patil Aslanian, Elsa Menounou, Anna Maria Nishanian, and Thora Giallouri, who are all students in Southern California, two of whom have come from Athens, Greece. The four students began work on assigned projects ranging from organizing community events and meetings with public officials to media outreach and educational activities. In addition to their projects, the participants will partake in a series of lectures, workshops, and media review seminars featuring a range of community professionals, leaders and organizations.

“We are happy to have four motivated and accomplished students, both undergraduate and graduate, joining us for the 2008 Autumn Session,” said Haig Hovsepian, ANC-WR Community Relations Director and IEP Coordinator. “Working with our staff and with our partners in the community, they will not only learn a great deal more about the issues that are important to our community, but make a significant and positive difference as well,” he added.

Patil Aslanian is a Political Science major at the University of California, Irvine and an intern focusing on Organizational Administration and Development. Joining Aslanian is fellow intern Anna Maria Nishanian, a Broadcast Journalism major at California State University, Northridge, who is specializing in Public and Media Relations this session.

Thora Giallouri and Elsa Menounou, both international students from Greece, are pursuing their Masters Degrees in Political Science at California State University, Los Angeles. Giallouri has been assigned as an extern with Asbarez Daily Newspaper and Menounou is working on Community and Government Affairs as an intern with the ANC-WR. Asbarez is now an established IEP extern partner organization with the ANC-WR.

The application for the 2009 Spring Session will be released in early October and the deadline to submit is December 1st. For more information about the IEP and a downloadable version of the application please visit http://www.anca.org/gateway/gateway_overview.php.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Photo Caption: ANC-WR IEP autumn session participants at ANC-WR offices.