From heritage to leadership: How the ANCA Summer Academy empowers young Armenian women

In a sunlit conference room on the top floor of the Armenian National Committee of America in Washington, D.C., 18 young adults—13 of them, young women—gathered with open ears, ready to transform mentorship into action. The ANCA Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy is more than an internship; it is an immersion into the Armenian Cause and an inside look at how policy priorities are advanced within the U.S. federal government. Though the program is co-ed, my experience as a woman there was especially inspiring. Armenian women have, for centuries, reshaped the world. They stood on battlefields alongside men while also cooking meals, managing households and handling finances. At the Summer Academy, we were equipped with the advocacy, leadership and critical-thinking skills that modern leaders like Lilit Tadevosyan, Sona Ghazaryan and Anahit Manasyan have leveraged to rise to the highest levels of government and public service. We also learned from trailblazers such as Nathalie Matossian, president of CASA, and Ruth Simonian Vetter, Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Defense, whose careers left a lasting impression on all of us. Their stories were framed by a sobering reality: while women make up 54% of U.S. House staff, the majority still occupy lower-level or administrative roles, while leadership remains male-dominated. Recognizing this gap sharpened our sense of purpose. When I asked Taleen Mcomber, a rising senior at Trinity Hall who participated in the second session, what stood out most for her, she pointed to Ruth Simonian Vetter’s lecture: “As a participant in the ANCA Summer Academy, I gained a deeper understanding of what Armenian women can achieve in leadership and advocacy. A highlight was a lecture by Ruth Simonian Vetter. She shared how she advises on policies affecting millions, leads large teams and makes difficult decisions daily. Hearing about her challenges and the integrity she brings to her work made leadership in law and policy feel attainable. As someone interested in law, her story inspired me to approach advocacy with the same responsibility and dedication.” Beyond lectures, our training was deeply hands-on. Aram Hamparian guided us through lessons on persuasion and body language: skills we immediately put to work during lobbying sessions. I watched my peers grow in real time: young women who had hesitated to speak up were confidently leading discussions by the week’s end. One participant, quiet at first, emerged as a natural spokesperson during a meeting with congressional staff, articulating the concerns of Armenia’s youth with clarity and passion. In those conference rooms, a pattern became clear. The young women consistently emphasized not just the mechanics of policy, but the well-being of Armenia’s future generations. In one meeting, for example, a young woman raised the heartbreaking issues of infertility and miscarriages in Artsakh and Armenia, making sure the human cost of conflict was not forgotten amid policy talk. Time and again, they brought ethos into conversations that might otherwise have had the majority focused on logos. This shift reflects a broader transformation: Armenian women are stepping beyond traditional roles as preservers of culture into positions of strategic leadership. I will admit, I was hesitant about spending the last week before college in Washington, D.C., knowing absolutely no one and unsure of what to expect. Yet, it turned out to be the most valuable preparation I could have imagined. Not only because I now carry the Armenian Cause with me (the Armenian flag hangs proudly in my dorm room), but because the skills I gained, the ability to turn ideas into action, are lessons that might take semesters to learn in college. At the academy, I learned them in a week. What struck me most was the warmth and generosity of the team. When I mentioned that I would be attending the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State, they immediately began offering connections, advice and encouragement. Even when I asked for quotes for my latest piece for the Weekly, they contributed without hesitation. On the final day of the program, I felt a profound pride in my heritage. We sang, we danced and I was in awe of how alive the Armenian nation is. The ANCA Summer Academy bridges generations of Armenian women, from established leaders to the next cohort of advocates, showing how mentorship fuels empowerment. The lessons we carried out of that sunlit conference room ripple outward: strengthening diaspora advocacy, amplifying youth voices and ensuring Armenian women are actively shaping the future of the Cause. For me, that sunlight has become a compass, guiding me with the confidence, skills and purpose to step into every room not as an observer, but as a leader.

From heritage to leadership: How the ANCA Summer Academy empowers young Armenian women

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Grace Yacobe

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Grace Yacobe

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