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Christina Najarian
New Jersey
“This summer, I interned for Policy Forum Armenia (PFA), an independent think tank with offices based within the International Monetary Fund (IMF). PFA uses economic data from Armenia to provide comprehensive reports and analysis to congressmen, diplomats, and the public. As an economics major at Cornell University, I felt that this internship aligned perfectly with my course of study. I found myself writing blog posts about the Armenian economic and political spheres. My first article was titled Armenia’s Quest for a Democratic Identity: A Conversation with Raffi Hovanissian on Armenia. In my piece, I examined the recent election fraud in Armenia's February 2013 presidential election, and suggested steps to begin the process of eliminating corruption from civil society.
In order to complete my blog posts, I spent time at Georgetown’s LAU library researching and reading many of PFA’s corruption reports. Researching and writing on topics that pertain to my interests and what I study at school was a rewarding way to spend my summer. Many of my friends back home were stuck with 9-5 jobs that have nothing to do with their future careers, but after completing the Armenian Assembly’s internship program here in DC, I can say that the work I’ve done has been rewarding both intellectually and experientially.
Aside from work, my favorite part of the program was surrounding myself with other Armenians. Together we share the same family values and future goals, and over the course of the summer, we have formed a family apart from our own back home. I encourage any Armenian to apply to this program. It’s a great way to establish lifelong friendships, while gaining valuable work experience.”
