GLENDALE—Five local high school and college students, who have been accepted into the 2011 ANC Glendale Summer Internship program, kicked off their week by attending the Glendale City Council meeting on Tuesday to get a glimpse of tax dollars at work and to learn about the functions of their local government.
In the next 12 weeks, Sipan Beglaryan, Patil Derderian, Anoush Djrbashian, Celine Khalafian, and Shant Seraydarian will learn the nuts and bolts of community organizing, meet with elected officials and help develop future ANCG projects such as the ANCG Youth Leadership Conference, Path to College Program, Glendale Free Legal Clinics and Relay for Life.
“We are delighted to welcome a new group of students for the 2011 Summer Internship Program,” stated Elen Asatryan, Executive Director of ANC Glendale. “We are looking forward to providing the interns with innovative, hands-on projects that directly affect their community, while going through an intensive list of workshops and lectures over the next twelve weeks. This is a unique opportunity for the students to understand the importance of being active and making a positive change in the community,” added Asatryan.
Sipan Beglaryan, a senior at Clark Magnet High School, is the Director of Finance for the Associated Student Body for the coming school year, where he will keep track of finances for the school. In addition to his involvement in student government, Beglaryan has also been a proud and active member of the Armenian Club for the past three years and is planning on becoming the President of the club in the following year.
Patil Derderian, the 2010 Valedictorian of Rose and Alex Pilibos High School and the recipient of Presidential Fitness Award, Hrag Tashjian English Literature Scholarship and California Scholarship Federation recognitions is currently a student at Glendale Community College. On campus, Derderian serves as the Junior Vice President of the Scholar’s Finance Committee, is a member of the Armenian Students Association and the Alpha Gamma Sigma Academic groups. She is majoring in Political Science and minoring in English in pursuit of becoming an attorney in the future.
“As an intern at ANC Glendale, I look forward to working with my local community’s governmental affairs and contributing to ANC’s efforts to better educate our community and resolve issues that truly effect all of our daily lives,” stated Patil Derderian, 2011 Summer intern at ANCG.
A senior at Clark Magnet High School, Anoush Djrbashian is the President of Truth Movement Club, through which she organizes fundraisers and events on campus for charities such as Water Wells for Africa. Djrbashian is the Treasurer of GCC’s Psychology Club, a peer tutor as well as involved with several volunteer organizations, such as the Housing Rights Center in Los Angeles, GUSD’s Strategic Planning Committee, California Scholarship Federation, Clark Magnet’s Scholastic Bowl team and Editor of the school newspaper, the Chronicle.
“I think the ANCG summer internship program is a great opportunity to learn how grassroots organizations work. I’m confident that it will help me become more active in the community and provide first-hand experience with local issues,” said Anoush Djrbashian, currently an intern at ANCG.
Celine Khalafian, a senior at Clark Magnet High School, is the editor of her school newspaper, the Chronicle, in which she edits stories, writes articles and creates newspaper layouts. In addition, she is an active volunteer at Church of the Living Hope as a Sunday school teacher and at the Homenetmen Ararat Glendale Chapter as a basketball coach for children.
Shant Seraydarian, a recent graduate of Crescenta Valley High School with a Golden State Diploma is also a Seal bearer for the California Scholarship Federation. Seraydarian’s extensive list of community involvement include Photographer of the Crescenta Valley Yearbook, Director of Public Relations for Armenian Club, and the President of United for Change, a club which advocates for the rights of the abused, homeless, and the elderly. Seraydarian has volunteered at Western Prelacy of Armenian Apostolic Church, the “Talin” Chapter of the Armenian Relief Society, the Young Women’s Christian Association in Glendale, and Oakview Convalescent Hospital. Throughout high school, he accumulated a total of five hundred volunteer hours.
“It is an honor to be chosen by the ANC Glendale as I have always had a lot of respect for the work they’ve done in unifying and educating our community,” stated Seraydarian, an intern of the ANCG Summer Internship program. “I look forward to an exciting summer during which I will be able to not only give back to community, but learn ways in which I can serve it better,” added Seraydarian.
Established in fall 2007, The ANCG Internship program provides an opportunity for student leaders and activists to gain an in-depth understanding of Armenian-American issues as well as advocacy efforts on the local level. In addition to networking with community leaders, candidates participate in workshops featuring a variety of guest speakers, including public officials, ANC leadership, and specialists from the community. Interns also partake in joint projects with fellow interns as well as individual sessions ranging from media relations and civic participation to grassroots advocacy.
The Armenian National Committee-Glendale Chapter advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city’s Armenian-American community and promotes increased civic participation and awareness at the grassroots and public policy levels.
