Alumna Selected For Prestigious D.C. Internship Program

Lilia Kavarian was never really interested in the world of politics. But nowadays, she finds herself knee-deep in it.

The Pasadena City College alumna and current honors student at Cal State Los Angeles is serving as a Washington, D.C. intern for Rep. Jim Costa, a California Democrat who represents the 16th District. Kavarian was one of 23 Cal State University students nominated by their respective campus presidents to participate in the Panetta Institute’s prestigious Congressional Internship Program.

Named after former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the institute hosts students for the program every fall with an intensive, two-week course at its Monterey Bay, Calif. location. While there, students learn about a wide variety of political topics, including foreign and defense policy.

Upon completion of the course, the interns are then shipped off to Capitol Hill, where they work for two-and-a-half months for a member of the California congressional delegation.

“Before I got into the program, I wasn’t really into politics,” said Kavarian, a CSULA business major. “I was pretty nonpartisan. But now that I’ve been given a chance to see how government works from behind the scenes, it’s been a real eye-opener for me.”

Kavarian got involved with the congressional program after being accepted into CSULA’s Honors College, which offers advanced interdisciplinary courses to participants. As one of only a few transfer students enrolled in the Honors College, Kavarian was recommended by the College’s director to apply for the D.C. internship.

“I was really interested in business law and how it intersects with public policy,” said Kavarian, who holds three associate degrees from PCC: business administration, French, and humanities. “So it seemed like it would be a good fit. It turned out that it was.”

In D.C., Kavarian drafts correspondence and conducts legislative research for Costa’s congressional office. She also attends legislative briefings and hearings on various policy issues.

Although she admits disagreements on Capitol Hill are the norm, working with Costa – considered a “Blue Dog” Democrat for his willingness to jump party lines on fiscal issues – has been a refreshing experience.

“It’s like a breath of fresh air seeing members of congress work with both sides,” Kavarian said.

When she returns to CSULA, Kavarian plans on graduating next spring with a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis on pre-legal studies. She hopes to attend law school and become a judge.

Kavarian, who carries a 3.8 GPA, credits much of her academic success to PCC. “I owe everything to PCC,” she said. “I love PCC so much. It gave me freedom to figure out what I wanted to do. I came into the college as a French major, but didn’t really see a career for me on that path. After taking a business law class at PCC, I knew that I wanted to pursue law.”

Kavarian also said meeting Panetta, a fellow Californian, was inspiring. She sat next to him last month at a formal dinner gathering for the interns.

“It was pretty cool,” she said. “He’s a very wise man and the amount of people he knows is crazy. He’s straight and to the point, but very friendly and approachable.”

Kavarian said Panetta shared with her the story about the day Osama Bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. Navy SEALS in 2011. Panetta was head of the CIA at the time and watched the raid remotely from the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Va.

“He talked a little about the situation room during that night,” she said. “Not much more, though. It’s classified.”

Founded in 1997 by Leon and Sylvia Panetta, the Panetta Institute provides internships in the CSU system. The institute also provides study opportunities in government, politics and public policy, and sponsors a range of other programs. For more information, visit panettainstitute.org.