Internship puts pair in Armenia
After time in Washington D.C., the pair will spend two months working in capital city.

By Wafiqah Basrai
(Published: July 4, 2006)

Glendale residents Ani Sinanyan and Armine Bazikyan could not have asked for a better way to spend their summer after graduating from UCLA.

The two women, both 21, are participating in a two-month-long internship program in Yerevan, Armenia, where they are gaining work experience and immersing themselves in the culture.

Since 1999 the Armenian Assembly has provided internship opportunities in Washington, D.C., and Yerevan, Armenia. Sinanyan and Bazikyan took part in the Washington, D.C., internship last summer.

"We did our part in D.C., and we felt the need to definitely come to Armenia to give back and to learn from Armenia," Sinanyan said.

Western Office Director Lena Kaimian, who is overseeing the internships, emphasized the importance of the program.

"This is the future of our community and through the internship program they have an opportunity to experience our nation's capital and ancestral homeland in a professional setting," she said.

During the week, the interns work in their specialized field of interest.

Sinanyan works at the Markaryan Medical Center, where she helps with research for maternal and child health care. She also works in the surgical department at the hospital with nurses and doctors. Sinanyan has done similar work in hospitals in Los Angeles. Working oversees is a great experience because she gets to see the differences between Los Angeles and Yerevan, she said.

Although the internship began on June 20 , Sinanyan said she's learned more in the past week and half than she ever thought she could.

"You come here thinking you are going to be the one teaching the locals, but you sometimes learn more from them," Sinanyan said.

The internship has been a good experience for Bazikyan, too. She is working with president of the Constitutional Court Gagik Harutyunyan, whose judicial post is analogous to chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in America. She is learning about the Armenian Constitution and spends her days sitting with judges, listening and engaging in their discussions.

Bazikyan is also helping a human rights group that works closely with the Constitutional Court.

"It's very different from D.C.," Bazikyan said. "It's really interesting to be in Armenia [and to] see how a growing country is still developing its constitution."

Apart from gaining valuable work experience, the two are learning more about their motherland, culture and religion.

On weekends, the interns have planned programs designed to make their free time more constructive, Sinanyan said.

The interns visit sites that are not typical tourist areas, but are important to Armenia's history and culture. On Saturday, they went on a 14-hour trip and visited monasteries.

They also attend lectures, participate in mixers with students who do similar work and meet government officials.

Being thousands of miles away from home might make some uneasy, but both said they are comfortable in Armenia.

"I feel like I have an extended family here. I feel like I'm in the right place," Sinanyan said.

Bazikyan agrees, "I feel at home because everyone is Armenian."

Kaimian said the program has received positive feedback. "The students are amazed at the experience they get in Armenia because they are working hands-on and they're involved in the process of nation building," she said. "They are gaining the full Armenia experience."

Three other Glendale Residents are doing internships through the Armenian Assembly, but a little closer to home. Emin Akopyan, Shant Norhadian and Lara Talverdian are interning for California representatives and senators in Washington, D.C.