Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Nellie Chobanyan, second row, far right, with Armenian Assembly interns in Washington, D.C.
Syuzanna Kovalenko
Staff Writer
What was once an unexpected opportunity quickly became the best experience of her life. Fresno State student Nellie Chobanyan has lived in Fresno, CA, nearly her entire life and finally had the opportunity to live in another part of America for a few short months. Nellie’s interests have always been aligned with international law as it pertains to Armenia, and she takes any opportunity she can to further her interests.
Almost two years ago, Nellie became affiliated with the Armenian Assembly when she was accepted to their Advocacy Summit Program, where students from various universities have the opportunity to lobby and advocate on Capitol Hill. She then proceeded to apply for the Terjenian-Thomas Internship Program in Washington, D.C., where she expected to continue to grow her advocacy skills and knowledge in Armenian issues. For the first time, Nellie was experiencing living away from her family for several months, and her mind was racing with excitement. Knowing it was a city she was already familiar with contributed to her excitement, as she had already fallen in love with the people and the environment long before. Being in an environment that continuously fed her interests in law, challenged her in her networking abilities, and speaking with like-minded individuals only grew her passion. The most enticing part about Nellie was that a new and unfamiliar experience did not scare her, and instead, only motivated her even more.
In addition to her internship with the Armenian Assembly, she has also worked with organizations such as the Armenian National Institute and became a program assistant for the Osgood Center for International Justice. Balancing three internships, her day-to-day varied, where some days she was advocating with the Armenian Assembly and some days she was with the Armenian National Institute helping build their website and conducting research, and there were days where she did both with the Osgood Center for International Justice. She participated by attending police briefings, hearings, and lecture series. Of these different events, her favorite part was advocating on the Hill by running from office to office, especially when she was able to guide others when collaborating with the Knights of Vartan. “This was an invaluable experience,” said Nellie. “It was cool to teach others how to advocate, in addition to advocating ourselves.”
Nellie highlighted the value of making connections with Armenians in Washington, D.C., especially through the Armenian Assembly lecture series, where they invited several speakers who were involved with organizations from the IMF to the White House and even different entrepreneurs.
As Nellie has emphasized her whole life, in any internship and project she completed, she always looked for ways to integrate her interest in international human rights law and find ways to learn more about it.
Nellie gave instances where she constantly tried to network with staffers who were involved in foreign affairs within congressional offices. With any research project she conducted, she ensured she could specialize in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, where she was bound to find various articles on human rights violations.
Her work with the Osgood Center for International Justice, allowed her to attend the events of her choice, which she consistently picked those that were closely related to international and human rights law, which opened the door for her to meet ambassadors and diplomats.
One of her favorite parts of her experience was the lifelong friends she met in the program. A group of nearly 20 people, coming from different areas across the United States, but each connected by their Armenian identity. She built long-lasting relationships that she maintains, despite the different lives they each live.
When Nellie was asked about the most valuable lesson she learned, she responded that “Intentionally networking where you build a relationship that is not strictly transactional is the biggest takeaway that I had this summer, and I’ve tried to employ that in my life in Fresno as well.”
Nellie encourages and recommends students to experience this internship, highlighting the fact that you do not have to be involved in international affairs to participate, as the Assembly makes every effort to open doors for you regardless of your interests.
This experience opened Nellie’s eyes to the broad Armenian community that is truly everywhere. It made her feel more involved as she stated, “not only in the Armenian community but also in the American community, and the privilege of being able to advocate as an American for your community back home.”
Nellie has understood that her life isn’t just limited to Fresno, “I can go out into the world and make the change that I’ve always dreamed of making. Now it is more realistic, and it motivates me to work harder here in Fresno to make the change I want to make.”