New York Summer Intern Program: A Successful 20th Year

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, AGBU's New York Summer Intern Program (NYSIP) continues to make a lasting impact on the lives of Armenian college students from around the world. This year, 36 students from Argentina, Australia, England, France, Lebanon, Syria, and the United States came together to rediscover their heritage, explore the human jungle of New York City, and gain invaluable experience and insight into their future careers. AGBU's New York Summer Intern Program allows interns to get a head start on their future field of employment by working at top companies, which happily accept students year after year based on the positive performance of AGBU interns from years past.

"AGBU's New York Summer Intern Program is an ideal opportunity for an employer to secure solid professional talent and, in exchange, provide valuable experience and mentorship to a matriculated college student. Over the past four years of participating in this program, my experience has been outstanding, with each AGBU intern having made a significant contribution to the work product of the office," said Karen Berliner, Director of Planning and Business Initiatives at the New York University School of Medicine.

This year's AGBU Interns were employed by some of New York's top organizations, such as Merrill Lynch, the New York District Attorney's Office, Columbia University Hospital, the BBC Bureau to the United Nations, and Entertainment Weekly Magazine, among others. What truly makes NYSIP so unforgettable are the lifelong friendships which result from staying in shared housing with fellow interns for a period of eight weeks each summer.

Along with the 34 interns chosen by AGBU for the 2007 session, for the first time ever, this year AGBU partnered with the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, allowing two of their interns to take part in the AGBU New York Summer Intern Program. In addition to the internships, the Program hosted a number of educational and cultural experiences, including traditional Armenian dance lessons given by the AGBU Antranig Dance Ensemble; a lecture by Dr. Ara Tekian about his experience climbing Mount Ararat; an eye-opening session on contemporary Armenian art by Neery Melkonian; a briefing on how to become an entrepreneur by NYSIP alumnus Patrick Sarkissian; a lecture by sports marketing veteran, Paul Kayaian, on the values and importance of professional networking; a presentation by Dr. Lucy Der Manuelian on the history of Armenian architecture. The interns also attended AGBU's spectacular biennial FOCUS Gala, which was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of NYSIP.

Two very special and touching events that took place this summer were Sunshine for Seniors, a community service project where interns performed for Armenian seniors at the Armenian Home for the Aged in Queens, and AGBU's interactive Mentoring Night, where the AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York teamed up to help guide and advise the interns on their current career paths. NYSIP began as the dream of Vartkess and Rita Balian, Co-Founders of NYSIP and Co-Chairs of AGBU President's Club, who for the past 20 years, have provided, on a daily basis, training and advice to manage the Program. The proof of NYSIP's success comes from a 20-year track record of successful alumni, many of whom have achieved leadership positions in their fields. Grateful to the Program, alumni continue to contribute to NYSIP through various means, by placing interns at their organizations, contributing to the Program, and facilitating cultural and professional lectures.

The culmination of this year's Program came with the annual NYSIP Supervisor's Reception organized specially to pay tribute to the selfless individuals who shared their time, knowledge and expertise with the interns. NYSIP's Associate Program Director Michael Hovsepian served as Master of Ceremonies. Four of the 2007 NYSIP interns also took to the podium, including Michael Manavdjian from Michigan, Guy Markarian from Lebanon, Lauren Sarkesian from Michigan, and Lori Tomassian from California, who detailed their experiences with NYSIP and the impact of the Program on their long-term career plans.

"Our unique program has been designed to empower young Armenian adults through a clear path of education, opportunity and leadership by providing them with the professional foundation and practical skills to 'make it' in one of the most challenging cities in the world, New York," said Rita Balian during her tribute remarks. "Our vision remains today a steadfast commitment to opening doors and creating exciting opportunities for new generations of Armenian youth, who will then continue this tradition of 'giving' for generations to come."

Another distinguished speaker was Paul Najarian, an alumnus of NYSIP and one of this year's supervisors, who spoke on behalf of the 2007 supervisors. The keynote speaker was Raffi Balian, another alumnus of the Program, who is currently serving as Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State, "One of the most rewarding aspects from the Internship program is the opportunity we have to work with and learn from mentors. That experience not only helps guide us in our careers, but also helps us to serve as mentors in the future," said Raffi during his speech.

The Program concluded with closing remarks from AGBU President, Berge Setrakian, who applauded the Program's achievements throughout the past 20 years. "Without doubt, the New York Summer Intern Program is one of AGBU's most outstanding and successful initiatives. We are indebted to Vartkess and Rita Balian, who had the foresight to establish this program and act as the co-chairs for the past twenty years. Through their relentless efforts and investment of time and dedication, a new generation of leaders has been prepared, who are proud of their Armenian heritage and who are taking active roles in their communities across the world," Setrakian said.

In its 20th year of existence, with over 580 intern alumni from Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, South Africa, Syria, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, and the United States, NYSIP has succeeded in setting a powerful foundation upon which students can actualize a bright and successful future in their chosen field. Now that the 2007 session of NYSIP has come to a close, AGBU's New York Summer Intern Program is already gearing up for a successful twenty-first year, opening doors for a new generation of young Armenian college students.