Armenian Assembly 2026 Summer Internship Kicks Off in Armenia

1986 Internship Program Alumni Make 40th Anniversary Visit to the Yerevan Office

Top: 6 of the 11 interns participating in the Armenian Assembly 2026 Summer Internship Program in Armenia. Bottom: 2026 interns with Assembly staff and the visiting Terjenian-Thomas Internship Class of 1986 alumni at the Assembly's Yerevan Office.

Yerevan, Armenia – The Armenian Assembly of America’s (Assembly) Summer Internship Program in Armenia welcomed 11 students to begin their 8-week program in the homeland. Representing Georgetown University, the University of California, Berkeley, Boston College, George Washington University, California State University, Northridge, the University of Washington Bothell, and the University of California, Los Angeles, the interns will gain valuable professional experience working in Armenia’s government institutions, private-sector companies, nonprofit organizations, and museums, while immersing themselves in daily life in Yerevan and exploring the country’s rich history and cultural ties.

“We are happy to welcome eleven bright students from some of the leading academic institutions in the U.S. for an immersive 2-month experience in Armenia,” remarked Armenia Country Director Armen Sahakyan. “The students will have a chance not only to gain valuable professional skills interning at diverse institutions, but also meet with leaders in various sectors as well as travel throughout the country to get more closely connected and involved with the country and its people.”

The official launch of the program coincided with the visit of four alumni of the 1986 Terjenian-Thomas Internship program class – Jon Hanessian, Ruth Zeronian Edwards, Lisa A. Kazanjian, and Tanya Koshgarian Chakmakian – and their families, who traveled to Armenia to celebrate their class's 40th anniversary.

Left to right, Richard White, Ruth Zeronian Edwards, Tanya Koshgarian Chakmakian, Lisa A. Kazanjian, Steve Coyne, and Jon Hanessian. Members of the Terjenian-Thomas Internship Class of 1986 and their families.

The alumni shared their Assembly internship experiences and offered the students words of advice on career development and the lasting bonds the program creates. "My internship became a natural stepping stone — it led me to business school and a career in finance,” said Lisa A. Kazanjian, a member of the 1986 class. “My advice: whatever project they give you, push to walk away with a real result or outcome, so you can say, 'I did this, and here's what came of it.' That mattered enormously when I applied to schools and jobs afterward."

Class of 1986 alumni share career advice with the 2026 Armenia interns at the Yerevan Office.

For many in the class, the program's impact has endured well beyond their career paths. "Seven or eight of us have stayed extremely close ever since," said Jon Hanessian. "We started holding reunions right after 1986 and have gotten together nearly every year to keep those bonds alive. Forty years later, this program is still what brings us back together." During the visit, we were also able to honor and celebrate the memory of Jon's father, John Hanessian Jr., one of the founding fathers of the Armenian Assembly.

Established in 1977, the Assembly's internship program was the first offered by an Armenian organization in America and will mark its 50th anniversary in 2027, with details on planned events and activities to be announced soon.

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Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a strictly non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

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