Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to be a part of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Rising Leaders seminar and Advocacy Days.
Rising Leaders is a three-day program for people 17-years-old and above to learn important career tips, such as conducting an elevator pitch, building a strong resume and networking, while also learning how to be an advocate for Armenian issues. The program occurs twice in March to provide flexibility to interested college students.
On the first day of the program, I met with other Rising Leaders at the ANCA building in Washington, D.C. upon arriving early in the day. The presentations on Sunday were primarily centered around career building. During the presentations, I learned how to deliver elevator pitches, utilize LinkedIn to network with people in my field and build a strong resume. Although I had been exposed to these topics before, the presentations allowed me to gain another perspective on how to improve what I had done previously to better myself for the future. Something I found particularly helpful was how the lecturers took the time to look at our resumes and LinkedIn profiles and hear our elevator pitches. The insight they provided was helpful for us to continue to develop our career-building skills. After the presentations, one of the ANCA ungers took us on a tour at night, when we were able to see many monuments in Washington.
Monday was focused on learning how to become an advocate in Washington and our local communities. One part of the day that I learned a lot from was the advocacy simulation. This was done by splitting us into smaller groups, and members of the ANCA acted as different representatives in Congress. Some were very pro-Armenian, while others were not. I learned a lot about how to convey important information about Armenia and Artsakh while being confident and persuasive with what I was saying. The primary purpose of this was to prepare us for Tuesday, when we would head to Capitol Hill.
On Tuesday, we took what we had learned and applied it in a real-life situation. I had the opportunity to meet with a staffer for my congressman, Brad Schneider, discuss the situation in Artsakh and Armenia and ask him to continue to support Armenian issues and resolutions. Throughout the rest of the day I, along with my fellow Rising Leaders, went to congressional offices to drop off folders containing important information about Artsakh and Armenia. I was able to apply the elevator pitch lecture from Sunday during the drop offs, as I only had a few minutes to talk to staffers about the ongoing situation in Artsakh and Armenia and ask for support for several drafted resolutions.
Overall, this experience taught me how to build my network and learn important skills for my career. I also learned more about the ANCA and advocacy for Armenian issues and became motivated to become involved with my local ANC in Illinois along with the ANCA as a whole.
This program also motivated me to attend ANCA Advocacy Days, where I met with many representatives in Illinois and used my voice and what I had learned from the Rising Leaders seminar to convey my concerns as an Armenian and as a resident of Illinois.
ANCA Advocacy Days is a three-day program centered on advocacy. Many ANC advocates throughout the United States traveled to Washington to meet with congresspeople in their respective states and express concerns about Azeri aggression towards Armenia and the genocide that occurred in Artsakh in 2023. This was also a great opportunity to develop my skills as an advocate on Armenian issues.
I felt that there were some positives to take away from many of the meetings, but it does not mean our job is done. We must all continue to fulfill our duties as Armenians in the United States to make sure our voices are heard and push our congresspeople to sponsor and support resolutions that will help Armenia. I enjoyed my experiences with both programs, and I encourage other college and high school students to attend future Advocacy Days and participate in the Rising Leaders program.
Raffi Sarrafian
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