Blog

Meet the Interns (Part II)

Hagop Simonian

My name is Hagop Simonian.  I am 23 years old.  I was born in Washington, DC and raised in Maryland.  I currently study political science and minor in psychology.  I have been very active in my local Armenian community for many years.  For nine years, I attended Hamasdegh Armenian School and created countless memories along the way.  I have been an athlete of Homenetmen since the age of 15, and have also been in the AYF since the age of 13.  I enjoy every aspect of my Armenian community.  My passions are soccer, music, and dancing.  Through this Internship program, I hope to gain an understanding of different political views of Armenia’s citizens firsthand, as well as develop strong relationships between locals and the Diaspora.  We the Diaspora are the future along with the youth of Armenia.  We are one nation, just with different roots.

Kenar Charchaflian

My name is Kenar Charchaflian.  I am 20 years old and 100% Armenian.  I was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts.  I am currently a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studying kinesiology.  Besides being a full time student, I am also a gymnastics coach for a competitive gymnastics team and serve as the president of the Worcester “Aram” AYF chapter.  In my spare time, I like to hang out with my friends and family and participate in outdoor activities.  From this Internship program, I hope to gain hands-on experience in my field of study and really learn what it is like to be in the workforce.  More importantly though, I hope to gain a real connection with the country and people of my homeland, and I hope to bring those experiences back with me to the U.S. to influence other ungers and ungeroohis about my wonderful time spent in Hayastan.