GLENDALE, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America Western Region (ANCA-WR) announced, this week, its choice of 5 candidates to participate in the prestigious ANCA Leo Sarkissian Internship Program in Washington, DC. The Internship program, now in its 19th year, provides Armenian American youth leaders from the across the U.S. an opportunity to learn first hand about the inner workings of the American political system during its eight week training session in the nation’s capital.

Over a hundred candidates submitted applications to the ANCA Eastern and Western Region headquarters for consideration for the program. Successful applicants are highly motivated university students, who have shown a clear commitment to advancing Armenian American issues on their campuses or in their community in general. While in Washington, DC, interns will be working at the ANCA National Headquarters, where they will be given specific projects and participate in an intensive lecture series geared toward honing their community building and activism skills. The combination of Washington, DC and the ANCA headquarters located just blocks from the White House and a few metro stops from Capitol Hill – allow the participants to gain a fresh and multi-dimensional perspective on the Armenian Cause and its political and legislative future in the United States.

“The Leo Sarkisian Internship Program is by-far one of the most effective tools we have in working with youth to further advance the goals of Hai Tahd,” commented Angineh Babaian, Special Programs Coordinator for the ANCA-WR and former Leo Sarkisian Internship Program participant. My experience in the internship program taught me the fundamentals of grassroots advocacy and the importance of political activism. I am confident that this year’s interns will have an invaluable experience that will be beneficial to their personal and professional growth, along with the advancement of the Armenian Cause.”

This year’s ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship participants from the West Coast include Alina Azizian- a senior at University of California, Berkeley; Suzy Bezikian- a junior at University of California, Irvine; Mike Gedjeyan-a junior at University of California, San Diego; and Arpie Jivalagian and Maro Siranosian-both sophomores at University of California, Irvine. They will be joined by four additional participants from the Eastern U.S.

The ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship Program is the cornerstone of the expanded ANCA Capital Gateway program, designed to provide university students and recent graduates with opportunities to intern or find career positions on Capitol Hill, or at other U.S. government agencies in Washington, DC. For more information visit the ANCA website www.anca.org.

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.