ASA Sponsors Annual Internship at the Weekly

WATERTOWN, Mass.—For the second consecutive year, the Armenian Students’ Association of America, Inc. (ASA) sponsored a Journalism Internship Program at the Armenian Weekly offices in Watertown.

For a six-week period, Varak Ketsemanian, the second intern accepted into the program, interned at the Weekly, writing articles, conducting interviews, and assisting the editors in their tasks. (View his articles here.)

Ketsemanian received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (with a minor in history) from the American University of Beirut (AUB). His articles have appeared in the Lebanese Armenian Aztag Daily and AUB’s Outlook. Currently based in LA, he continues to regularly write articles for the Weekly.

ASA Chairman Brian Assadourian, following the Board of Trustees’ approval for the program for 2013-14, said the Association is proud to provide opportunities for qualified Armenian college and university students to gain valuable experience in the field of journalism. He went on to say that since 1910, the Association has been a leader in providing financial assistance through its scholarship grant program as well as underwriting special projects, such as the annual Poetry Contest, the Journalism Internship Program, lectures, and conferences.

Dr. Michael G. Mensoian, Trustee liaison for the internship, noted the valuable hands-on experience gained by the interns who are able to work directly with Khatchig Mouradian, editor of the Armenian Weekly, and Nanore Barsoumian, assistant editor. “Seeing the caliber of the interns that have received the ASA, Inc. Journalism Internship grants during the first two years of its existence has been very gratifying,” Mensoian said.

Last year, Lilly Torosyan became the first ASA journalism intern at the Armenian Weekly. She has continued writing for the paper (View her articles here.)

“The Armenian Weekly is grateful to the ASA for sponsoring this internship,” said Mouradian. “Thanks to this program, we have now had two bright and hard-working interns who have moved on to become regular contributors to the paper after their internship concluded. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the ASA in the coming years.”

The Armenian Students’ Association, Inc. has provided financial assistance for Armenian-American college students in the form of scholarships and internships for the past 100 years. The journalism internship will continue next summer.

To learn more about the ASA or participate in one of their educational opportunities, visit www.asainc.org.