On August 7, 2015, the AGBU New York Summer Internship Program (NYSIP) came to an end for the program’s 24 interns who spent the summer gaining professional experience and connecting with their Armenian heritage. As the first of the organization’s cadre of internship programs, NYSIP empowers young Armenians to achieve success by providing meaningful, purpose-driven professional opportunities and social activities.

This year, interns arrived from Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, the United Kingdom and across the United States to spend the summer building their brand, contributing to their professional development and enhancing their involvement in the Armenian community. During the eight-week program, participants worked in various fields at prestigious companies and organizations, including Columbia Medical Center, the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations, AXA Advisors, Mirrorball, SnackBare.com and TheMedNet.org.

Ari Kazanjian, a rising senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, studying psychobiology, learned practical wisdom at his internship at Columbia University Medical Center that will help ease his transition into the professional world: “My internship taught me not to settle for less, but rather push myself to accomplish whatever I set my mind to. Through this summer, I learned that if I work hard enough, I can accomplish anything and that asking others for help is a crucial part of growth.”

Julia Vanian, a recent graduate of the university of Sussex from Geneva, Switzerland, solidified her career aspirations through her internship at the non-profit Re: Gender: “My internship has reinforced my commitment to fighting gender inequalities and inequalities as a whole, but I have also realized that I would like to eventually work for an organization that operates at a broader, more international level.”

The program also provided the interns with an array of social, cultural and educational events to help them make the most of their time in New York. During the program, the interns visited New York neighborhoods and attractions and attended lectures, including talks by photographer Scout Tufankjian, author of There Is Only the Earth: Images from the Armenian Diaspora Project and filmmaker Stephanie Ayanian, producer of A New Armenia, which helped the interns understand their role in the making of a robust Armenian diaspora.

Additionally, NYSIP focuses on civic engagement, building relationships and fostering ties within the Armenian community. Since 1999, NYSIP has partnered with the Young Professionals of Greater New York (YPGNY) group. The most significant component of this partnership is the mentoring program that pairs each intern with a young professional working in his or her field of interest. Mentors provide guidance and act as role models, meeting several times throughout the summer, in groups and individually, to discuss their fields of expertise.

On August 5, the annual Supervisors’ Reception was held to celebrate the end of the program and thank the supervisors who make the summer possible. By guiding the interns and serving as models of professionalism, they help the interns grow and learn more about their place in the workforce. At the reception, NYSIP 2009 alumnus and current supervisor Aram Sethian spoke about the role of the program in reorienting Armenian culture: “I think NYSIP is one of the most progressive programs. This is one of the rare opportunities for the youth to be proactive and focus on education and professional development. This is the source of cultural rejuvenation that we should be striving for.”

By the end of the summer, the interns returned home with a stronger sense of their professional paths. Katia Hajjar, a rising junior from New Jersey studying cognitive science at the University of Michigan, spent the summer building the first mobile app for a startup called TheMedNet, an online medical network, and discovered new interests and skills that will serve her well into the future: “My internship taught me the importance of working for a company you believe in because you will motivate yourself, learn more and ultimately produce your best work. Now that I’ve experienced this kind of work environment, I think that I’m more equipped to make better decisions in searching for jobs. Through my boss and my NYSIP mentor, I was able to meet many people in both technology and business, who have all been inspiring and given me valuable advice. Most importantly, I learned how to be more comfortable with myself when I talk to people in a professional setting.”

The New York Summer Internship Program was founded in 1987 by Rita and Vartkess Balian under the auspices of the AGBU President’s Club.  NYSIP quickly established itself as the flagship AGBU program for Armenian students throughout the world and helped initiate a network of AGBU internship programs, including in London and Yerevan.  Today, it boasts a growing network of nearly 900 alumni.  For over 25 years, NYSIP has hosted interns from 21 countries in virtually every professional field and given high-achieving university students valuable work experience to help them lay a solid foundation for their professional success.