Michael Agbabian

Armenian Assembly Gala Honors 40 Years of Intern Alumni

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WASHINGTON — The Armenian Assembly of America will host a “Celebrating the Future” special gala in Newport Beach, Calif. on Saturday, March 4, that will honor the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program alumni over the past 40 years. This event will take place at the Newport Beach Country Club, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Special keynote speakers are former Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Intern alumni Katherine Sarafian (Assembly intern class of 1991) and Michael Agbabian (Assembly intern class of 1990). Sarafian is currently the Producer and Vice President of Production at Pixar Animation Studios. Agbabian is an award winning TV producer, as well as Executive Producer of NBC’s Hollywood Game Night hosted by Jane Lynch. Plan to attend the “Celebrating the Future” Gala and hear about how their experience with the Assembly Intern Program shaped their life goals.

This upcoming summer will mark the 40th anniversary year of the Assembly’s internship program for Armenian young adults in Washington, DC. Founded in 1977, the Armenian Assembly Summer Internship Program was the first internship program offered by an Armenian organization in America. For eight weeks each summer, the program gives college students of Armenian descent an opportunity to gain exposure to the policy-making process in our nation’s capital. More than 1,000 students have completed internships through the Armenian Assembly.

From its earliest phases and over the past four decades, the Assembly Summer Internship Program has been celebrated and strongly supported by the Armenian community with major gifts from the Richard Tufenkian Memorial Fund, the John Hanessian Scholarship Fund, the Armen Astarjian Scholarship Fund, the Ohanian Memorial Fund, Ann Hintlian, Ann Nahigian, James and Connie Melikian, the Knights of Vartan, the Estate of Haig J. Boyadjian, and the Estate of George Judge Karabedian (George Kay), as well as generous contributions in memory of former Assembly Board Members Dr. Lionel Galstaun, Peter Kezirian, and John O’Connor. In 2003, the Armenian Assembly’s Summer Internship Program was renamed in honor of Aram and Florence Terjenian and Annie Thomas after the announcement of their pace-setting $1 million donation to the program.

The “Celebrating the Future” Gala is co-chaired by Sosy Hachigian (Assembly intern class of 1991) and Diane Barsam (Assembly intern class of 1981). Tickets are $200 per person. RSVP and payment are due by February 24, 2017. Contact Assembly Western Region Manager Aline Maksoudian at (626) 577-0025 or email her at aline@aaainc.org to make your reservation or if you are interested in becoming a sponsor for the evening.

 

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