NYSIP Interns Make the Program’s 25th Anniversary Year One of its Greatest Yet

Every summer, participants in the AGBU New York Summer Internship Program (NYSIP) tap into an expansive network of industry experts, add a top Manhattan organization to their resumes, and form lifelong friendships with young Armenians from across the diaspora. This year, the NYSIP interns also helped make AGBU history by celebrating the program's silver jubilee. Whether they were working, attending educational and cultural events, or exploring the city, every day of NYSIP's 25th anniversary summer was unforgettable.

In 2012, prominent institutions such as Merrill Lynch, Mirrorball, The New York Resident, the New York University Medical Center and numerous others, benefitted from the enthusiasm and talent that the 30 NYSIP students brought with them from their hometowns in Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Russia, and the UK and across the US. NYSIP supervisor Craig Avedisian, who hosts interns at his law office, discussed why he joined the program, stating, "It is immensely satisfying to impart knowledge, and hopefully wisdom, acquired from years of working in the field, to young adults starting their journey. I am confident that the NYSIP interns learn from this experience and will have more successful and fulfilling careers because of it." The interns, in turn, took advantage of the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their chosen professions, working under the personal guidance of seasoned specialists who helped them realize their career aspirations.

The students' hours in the office were complemented by a professional lecture series, which gave them the chance to meet both as a group and one-on-one with leaders in different fields to discuss strategies for job hunting and ways to advance themselves following graduation. Guest speakers included NYSIP Co-Chair Raffi Balian, a foreign service officer with the US State Department; Anna Bruno, a NYSIP supervisor and financial consultant for AXA Advisors; and NYSIP alumnus Serge Kassardjian, a strategic partner in mobile commerce at Google. An interactive entrepreneurship panel organized by NYSIP alumnus Taleen Mangassarian, which featured Hamilton Colwell of Maia Yogurt, Joe Hallett of Company Connector and Nil Sen of Examville, was one of the highlights of the series, leaving interns with insiders' knowledge of how to establish a start-up company. NYSIP participant Areni Shahinian of Los Angeles, California, reflected on those seminars, and the program as a whole, commenting, "The AGBU Summer Internship Program not only gave me the tools I need to become a successful professional but gave me the confidence and inspiration to strive to be better, as well. It was inspiring to see so many successful Armenians giving back to the community and I look forward to the day when I can supervise my own AGBU intern. Also, thanks to NYSIP, I now have friends around the world who have become my family."

When they weren't working, the NYSIP interns could be spotted all across the city taking in New York's famous landmarks and sites. Picnics in Central Park, tours of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, and a celebratory gathering for the 4th of July fireworks were just some of the planned activities that kept the group busy on their weekends and every day in between. While the students immersed themselves in the culture of New York City, they also stayed connected to their Armenian cultural heritage. A special invitation from the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America brought the interns to see the church headquarters. There, they enjoyed a traditional Armenian dinner with His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, the Diocesan Primate.

Community service is a key component of NYSIP, and in keeping with an annual tradition, the interns visited the Armenian Home for the Aged in Queens, where they brightened the residents' day with a talent show. The community service project, known as "Sunshine for Seniors," is organized by the AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York (YPGNY) and is just one of the YP group's many initiatives that have strengthened the internship program over the years. Since 1999, YPGNY has annually sponsored student scholarships for NYSIP and since 2000 has coordinated Mentorship Night, an evening of professional exchange between local young professionals and visiting interns. The success of Mentorship Night prompted the launch of a mentorship program in 2007, which pairs interns with accomplished professionals who offer guidance and advice during regular meetings throughout the summer. Interns and mentors establish a relationship that they often maintain long after the program has concluded, which is a testament to NYSIP's lasting, positive impact.

At the NYSIP 25th anniversary weekend celebration, the interns saw the ways that, decades from now, they will continue to reap the program's countless benefits. The weekend festivities, which kicked off on Friday, July 20, 2012 at the anniversary mixer, and continued with the Saturday night gala, reunited hundreds of NYSIP alumni and supporters. They looked back on over two decades of great memories, and celebrated the many individuals who have made the program such a success. The alumni who were present have risen to the top of their fields and they continue to stay active and give back to the AGBU community. The 2012 NYSIP interns are sure to follow in their footsteps. Though their internship program officially ran from June 17 – August 11, 2012, they are now lifelong members of the AGBU family, and can look forward to many more of fun and excitement with the organization.