AIESEC Life Blog

The Blog of AIESEC Life

July 21

Dinner with an AIESEC Alum in Prague

A few of my fellow AIESECers from the San Luis Obispo chapter were lucky enough to go on traineeships in Prague during my time as an active member in undergrad. I had heard such good things about the city from them so I was very excited to finally have the opportunity to come to Prague to study for six weeks as part of my MBA program with the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

While here, I was lucky enough to meet up with a fellow AIESEC alum, Rick Griffiths, who currently serves as the Director of Online Marketing for AVG Technologies here in Prague. Rick was a member of the Ohio State AIESEC chapter and went on two traineeships in Istanbul, Turkey. His international adventures have taken him to over 60 countries and include a 7-month (15,000 mile) overland trip in South America with several other AIESEC OSU alumni. After spending a decade in Silicon Valley, his career once again relocated him outside the US with this new role with AVG in the Czech Republic. Rick has managed to stay in touch with several fellow AIESECers and joined a bunch of other AIESEC alumni from Ohio for Biola Adekanbi's wedding in Italy last summer. Rick also made it to the AIESEC Alumni “No Excuses” conference in Chicago two years back and is looking to take on a greater role as a mentor and alumni for AIESECers. It was a great pleasure exchanging stories and discussing the impact that AIESEC has had on both of our lives.

I met Rick at a well known expat bar in the heart of Prague (Praha 1) called Jama. I asked him what he missed the most and I was surprised to hear that it wasn’t any particular kind of food or amenity, but rather his friends and family. He said, and I suppose this is true, that if you look hard enough you can find a substitute for almost everything you miss – except for people. For me, Jama had become my go-to American food restaurant. They serve the best burgers. The bar/restaurant is full of all sorts of expats and it’s not hard to find someone who speaks English (we also discussed the theory that the Czech language was designed with the purpose of being difficult to learn) but nothing can replace good friendships and family, which is why I’m thankful to have many of my fellow classmates here with me studying, including a couple other AIESEC alumni as well.

As for the CEE (Central & Eastern Europe), I’ve had a great time exploring neighboring cities (including Berlin, Vienna and Cesky Krumlov) and getting to know Prague better. My fellow AIESECers were right, it is an amazing city with beautiful architecture, great views, and a dynamic history. I will be sad to leave, but excited to check out another country I have yet to visit which is next on my itinerary: Spain!

5:27 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

June 15

How AIESEC Changed My Life – It’s experience that matters!
By Ken Phillips, Partner, Organization Futures LLC

My initial interest in AIESEC was to get to Europe for the summer and take my girlfriend with me. At that time, her parents were rather protective and my parents in their 50s had just discovered the wonder of international travel, but I didn’t want to wait so long. Then I saw a poster about “Opportunities to work abroad” and a meeting for something called AIESEC-Princeton.

After the meeting and some learning about the organization from LC leaders, I made a list of business executives or managers that lived nearby or that my family knew. Ten calls and five meetings later, I had secured two traineeship offers. My selling proposition was: Take a foreign student as a trainee and give an American an opportunity for the reciprocal job overseas as part of a student run organization to promote international relations and development. The cost is low (a voluntary company fee of $75 for a domestic company or $150 for an international one) and a living wage ($60 to $95 per week) with no taxes or other withholding. AIESEC would handle all the details of visas, travel, insurance and hospitality. Besides, I said, you’re giving me an incredible opportunity. My 1^st lesson from AIESEC: Make your key selling points clear, simple and direct.

The traineeship in Bern, Switzerland, was routine but the international experience was life changing – it set me on a new direction. On return to school, I offered myself up as LCP and we did a fairly good job of recruiting students who wanted to travel and getting them to raise traineeships – about 5 or 10. I learned that using people’s self interest for a good cause is effective in helping them and the good cause at the same time! My 2^nd lesson in AIESEC: It all goes to motivation.

So on to graduate school in literature at the University of Michigan. What … no LC? Well, I spent more time in the Business School setting up a new LC, getting faculty support, student affairs subsidy, articles in the school paper, management systems, a core leadership team, with minimum bureaucracy, and mostly a roll out to recruit students and companies. Great start and 7 traineeships in the first year – Detroit was viable then! Year 2, I had a great successor as LCP so I moved on to organize the AIESEC-US national conference in Ann Arbor, raising enough money for it and getting elected NCP as a result. It was a great learning experience in setting up and leading an organization. My 4^th AIESEC lesson: The practical learning from doing things and getting results is more valuable than reading Shakespeare and Melville or Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes.

As NCP, I saw my role as growing the organization. The one room NC office next to Grand Central Station had an administrative assistant [office manager/surrogate mother] and one window that looked into an airshaft so I never knew when I left work if it was clear or raining, day or night. How to grow the organization? I got great advice from a dedicated and influential board of directors and a committed and enthusiastic NC team. The board left the decisions to the student leadership [a majority of the board were students!] and required only full and accurate plans and reports. Lesson #5: AIESEC can be student-run and be successful!

We had a network of regional directors, unpaid and still at their studies (theoretically at least) and focused their responsibility on growing their regions. The key strategy for student applicants was “Raise one. Get one.” The key strategy for RDs and LCPs was “Raise more. Go to International Congress.” We grew the number of traineeships from 362 in 1962 to 525 in 1964. My lesson: Motivation supported by strategy works best.

In addition to setting strategy and leading the NC, my main job was going to 20-25 universities each year to reinvigorate or inspire the LC. I remember going to so many LC meetings and seeing no one I thought was a leader and yet … some one eventually developed to do amazing things. To see a real ‘turkey’ become an effective LCP or an effective NCP or SG is an amazing experience! How people change when given the opportunity of leadership! Anyway, we grew the number of active LCs from 47 in 1964 and 72 in 1966. And they were all reasonably active with nearly 2,000 members overall – an average of nearly 30 members and 7 traineeships for each LC. My lesson here:

With a little mentoring, leadership develops and flourishes through the experience of leadership itself.

With small staff [2!] and small budget [$40,000!], I had few financial pressures especially after we made the company fee [@ $100 and $200] mandatory and instituted a $25 US student application fee. With small overhead, we could focus almost exclusively on the real work of the organization – motivating emerging LC leaders to create learning experiences for others in solicitations, reception, leadership and international training. Lesson: Focus on the primary product of your organization.

Then another 2-3 years as elected, unpaid International Advisory Councilor for the International AIESEC Secretariat, trying to guide various SGs to do the right thing as well as helping AIESEC International develop major international conferences on “Education for International Business” in 1966 and “The International Transfer of Management Skills” in 1969. Lesson: Keep pushing the boundaries to new levels of achievement.

At the end of my tenure in AIESEC, I realized I had had a truly extraordinary experience –a summer in Europe with my girlfriend (later my wife), hosting foreign students, leading in various settings, extensive intercultural experience, actually making a difference, and … some 20 international meetings from Berlin in 1962 to Turin in 1969! Together all these experiences changed my life! I learned so much about selling, planning, strategy, motivation, high goals, results focus, and, yes, leading and loving what I do. Perhaps the biggest lesson was the value of mentoring for the development of a group.

For my first job after AIESEC, I had the choice of working for a major NYC bank [Hmmm] or a major international organization. I chose international development and the Institute of International Education. This led to Vice President of Development at Save the Children, Executive Director at Foster Parents Plan, Head of Organizational Development at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and 15 years of consulting with nonprofit organizations around the world. Isn’t that an AIESECers dream? My MA in literature and MA in economics provided valuable insights to how people and organizations work, but it was the personal experience of being a leader in AIESEC on both a small scale (LC) and large scale (NC and AI) that was the most formative and life changing experience.

My consulting is facilitating strategic and operational planning, guiding clients to financial sustainability, fostering organizational capacity building, and mentoring senior executives and board members in leadership and governance. Guess where I first learned all that!

The extraordinary thing is that the same leadership experience is available today to any student who wants it. Times have changed, corporations are bigger, and international relations are more complex, but students today are also more adept, communications are faster, and learning is more practical.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter at Harvard says, in what I think is the most useful of conclusions about leadership, “Persistence is the number one success factor for leadership.” To that I add: “And you have complete control over the level of your own persistence”. Lesson for all: Opportunity is everywhere. It is up to the individual to take advantage of it. And AIESEC offers an unparalleled way to gain practical leadership and international experience that can change your life for ever and for good. And it may change the world too.

Now, I am coming back to AIESEC. I was privileged to play a role as a consultant, pro bono, for the AIESEC-US board in its “Good Governance Project” last year. The board redefined the business model to be the student learning model, returned to letting AIESEC-US be a student run organization with its own elected leaders, and put in place clear board systems, roles, and responsibilities. The open meeting of AIESEC US Inc for alumni on June 28 is one outcome.

I am also chairing the new advisory board for AIESEC-Boston which is helping build LCs at Brandeis, Tufts and other Boston universities. It feels good to give back to the organization that had given me so much.

Recently in leading a college seminar on leadership, I found myself getting bored with the standard things I was saying about leadership skills, leadership development, etc, so I focused on “Leadership for What?” and it led to a great discussion. As we reflected on the current state of affairs in business, government and civil society; in health care, the economy, and poverty; on Wall Street, Madison Avenue, and Media Way, I kept asking: “What happened?” “Where is the leadership?” “What is leadership for?” I know that people who have an AIESEC experience in practical leadership with its value base will know what “Leadership for What” is all about.

More recently I am spending my time as a presenter at conferences in the US and abroad (Boston, Kiev, Moscow, New York, Prague, Washington, Warsaw, etc). My signature presentation is Total Organization Fundraising©, a comprehensive general theory about how to develop the core capabilities of an organization to dramatically increase its revenues. Based on 40 years of work with nonprofits, I am now writing Why American Charities are Failing in Their Mission – and Seven Steps for the CEO and Two Steps for the Board to Success.

Yes, I have lived my dream that first occurred in my early AIESEC days.

7:53 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

November 17

From AIESEC Seattle to the Middle East North Africa Region

For a look at AIESEC's fastest growing region, Lili Hein interviewed Annika Rudback who recently completed her term as AIESEC International's Director of the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). Annika joined AIESEC Seattle in 2001 and also served as MCVP in Jordan and MCP in Egypt.

Who is in the MENA region and what are the most recent extensions?

There are now 11 countries in the MENA region: Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. When I joined AIESEC, there was no MENA region and the only countries where AIESEC was present were Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. The most recent expansions to Algeria and Saudi Arabia are being led by AIESEC in Tunisia, which is exciting to see. I'm always amazed by the enthusiasm and drive with which the young people in AIESEC in MENA live their AIESEC experience, always pushing to be more relevant, to dream bigger and to show that AIESEC has a special place in their country.

Annika attending the 2nd Gulf Conference in Qatar

What are the annual exchange numbers for the MENA region? Who are the top 3?

This past year, we did 417 exchanges. The top three performing countries are Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The Salaam internships this summer with Oman, Bahrain and Qatar really boosted their performance and gave many of the members experience in raising, matching and realizing internships and of course provided the opportunity for several interns to come to the US for internships and to live incredible experiences.

What are your observations of AIESEC alumni in the MENA region? Which have the best alumni networks/contacts/activities?

There are many alumni doing incredible things in the MENA region, whether it's holding senior positions at the top telecom companies, working as a Minister or running non profits. The challenge that the countries are facing now is how to reconnect to alumni. There were some great efforts in the past year by AIESEC in Tunisia and also AIESEC in Egypt to host events for their alumni to bring them back into the fold. The more recent extensions have also been able to capitalize on having alumni from other AIESEC countries who are working in the MENA region and have raised internships with several different alumni.

What was your most memorable experience while growing the MENA region?

I think one of the most memorable experiences while growing the MENA region was attending the 2nd Gulf Conference in Qatar held November 2008. Having talked to the first two expansion teams extensively and heard about the massive challenges they faced, including not being able to host a mixed gender conference, to see the Gulf conference come alive because of the belief and passion that the members had for AIESEC in the Gulf to thrive. I vividly remember attending global village where though there were only 5 AIESEC countries represented, there were 25 nationalities present! Nowhere else in the Gulf would you see Qataris, Emiratis, Omanis and Bahrainis working together with Indian, Pakistani, Somali, Syrian, and Egyptian expatriates, as well as males and females discussing ideas around sustainability.

How did AIESEC manage arrangements to overcome the mixed gender issue?

The MC managed to get the support of Sheikh Faisal, who is a part of the royal family and one of the most influential people in the country. He came to the opening day of the event and the Qatar Businessman's Association held the conference in their name, which allowed it to happen. So part of it was getting someone who is very high profile to support.

2nd Gulf Conference in Qatar

What were some of the lessons you learned while growing the MENA region?

I think one of the most important lessons is that local support is vital, particularly identifying and cultivating local champions. Another lesson is that because in many places AIESEC is so unique that people don't quite know what to think of it and therefore it is important to be aware of how AIESEC is perceived and to build up a strong positive brand.

How was the experience different from country to country (eg Jordan, Eygpt, and then as regional director)?

Jordan was a very entrepreneurial experience; where we would come up with our initial plan and a month later scrap that because the local reality was clearly different than anticipated. We had the advantage of having a market where we were responsible for developing those first impressions amongst students and businesses about what AIESEC had to offer. Egypt was more in the vein of trying to get an established AIESEC country think big, and members were very independent and driving growth. As a growth network director, it was more important to figure out what to focus on and to work very closely with the regional board to implement these focuses.

Anything else you would like to mention to AIESEC Life newsletter readers?

Here is the link to the AIESEC International 08-09 Annual Report. There is an article on MENA and all the MENA countries getting legal (p. 15) and then one on me as a female leader (p. 14): http://www.aiesec.org/cms/aiesec/AI/partners/publications.html

Annika graduated in 2005 from the University of Washington, speaks French, Arabic, Portuguese and Swedish, and is now on a traineeship in Brazil to expand a music school into an Art Center.

5:51 PM GMT | Read comments(3)

May 19

Reaching AIESEC International Since 1960 to Today

By Ruth Garelik

I joined AIESEC in January of 2005 as a sophomore at the George Washington University. I studied International Development and Spanish Literature, and my classmate recommended AIESEC, saying it would “totally be your thing.” She was absolutely right! I became the sales and incoming exchange coordinator and we managed to get a few new interns in DC, which was the first time our chapter had international interns in several years. It was thrilling to integrate these amazing individuals into our community. We taught them and learned from them on a daily basis.

The tables turned when I studied abroad in Quito, Ecuador in the spring of 2007. At the same time, I joined as a member of the local chapter in Quito. My study abroad experience was completely enriched by the intimate friendships I formed with these young Ecuadorians. I learned things about Latin America, Ecuador, culture, and history, which would never have been mentioned in the classroom. With my good friends I celebrated holidays, soccer triumphs, and travelled as a local.

After graduation in May 2008, AIESEC took me to Bogota, Colombia when I was selected to work full time in AIESEC’s national office doing project management, world issue education and sales. My year in Colombia was thrilling, rewarding, challenging, eye-opening, fun, empowering – simply put, amazing. I travelled throughout the country, got to know the 1,000 person membership of AIESEC, managed a large network of corporate contacts in Bogotá, sold several new partnerships, facilitated and managed large scale training conferences, and travelled to international events in Brazil and Guatemala. When deciding what to do after my term ended I was keen to diversify my experience. I was selected for AIESEC International’s marketing and sales team for 2009-2010, and prepared to move to Rotterdam.

My experience as part of AIESEC International 2009-2010 has been a wonderful learning experience. I manage the delivery and growth of six global partnerships, and am responsible for new sales and coaching in Asia Pacific, the Americas, Switzerland and Germany. I have 16 co-workers from 14 different countries, and 27 languages are spoken in our office. I have travelled to over 15 new countries in this year alone organising conferences, training and coaching national sales people, and meeting prospective partners to work with AIESEC on a global scale. It is a privilege to be able to work with the entire AIESEC network and maintain a macro perspective of the impact AIESEC has on thousands of young people and organizations.

AIESEC, as a global organization, is facing a key time. 2010 is the final year for AIESEC’s first ever midterm vision, determined in 2005. 2009 marked great achievement as the first year that we reached several of our benchmarks in preparation for 2010. In 2009, AIESEC facilitated over 8,500 international internship exchanges, reached over 45,000 members in 107 countries/territories, and provided over 9,500 leadership roles to our members. Globally, we are focusing on providing more dual experiences to AIESEC members: These involve an international internship and leading a team within their time in AIESEC. We consider this as the most intense and impactful development experience we can provide to future global leaders. We are also working to provide more experiences applicable for technical students in the engineering, computer science and IT fields. These skills are essential in today’s market, and we have the ability to satisfy this demand with highly competitive, management potential technical leaders.

As we look towards setting a new ambition for 2015, all regions in the AIESEC network are growing. Asia Pacific and Central/Eastern Europe have the highest rates of growth with the most members and facilitating the most internships. Most of our technical talent comes from Latin America, Middle East/North Africa, and Central/Eastern Europe, and the majority of our membership studies business administration, marketing, finance, languages, and cultural studies. Countries and local chapters are more aware of and focused on their niche to make AIESEC successful in their reality.

AIESEC US is one of these entities determined to discover how to make AIESEC click in the US market: Among all sectors and the student market, AIESEC is still a “best kept secret”. After several years, it was a great experience to go back to AIESEC US in March 2010 on a sales trip in the Bay Area and Seattle. Part of my role on AIESEC International is to work with national and local teams to prospect and negotiate new global partners from their current partner network or from new leads we explore together. Silicon Valley and Seattle are clear hot spots for the companies we seek to partner with globally. For several weeks prior to my trip, I worked with the LC’s and MC to determine our target company list, the products we’d offer, and expectations of potential delivery. We also scheduled training sessions to work with the LC sales teams, and meet with the alumni. While in the US, I met with about 20 different companies over a period of 3 weeks, in addition to many engaged alumni.

It was terrific to interact with the local AIESECers, answer their questions and support their AIESEC experiences. I told and retold my AIESEC experience a thousand times, but I was happy to illustrate the endless possibilities within the organization. The members have endless energy and ambition, which is the foundation for being a successful AIESECer. Their hard work cannot be overlooks, and they continuously seek to improve attempted initiatives. I learned a lot from them and gained an updated perspective of how AIESEC is evolving in the US, and especially on the West Coast.

Most importantly, the members are eager to learn and connect with more experienced AIESECers and alumni for guidance. They have a vision of how AIESEC could be in their schools and cities, and need support to ensure they focus on the simple yet effective steps to achieve it, and that they make business sense. One of the most important lessons I have learned in AIESEC is that although it’s a non profit and an extracurricular for most members, it needs to be run like a business in order to be successful. The AIESECers need to constantly connect with key people who share an interest for AIESEC’s work. There must be a strategic purpose for all activities and a clear determination of how those activities and investments of time and energy will impact the LC’s bottom line: More members living impactful AIESEC experiences including a leadership role and/or international exchange. AIESEC US has come a long way and has a good idea of where it wants to go. Support from all ends is essential to turn that vision into a reality.

9:43 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

April 21

Service Above Self: Alumna Bettye Dunham, District Governor of Rotary International

When, where, and how did you join and get involved in AIESEC?

I was a member of AIESEC through the University of Alabama between 1968 and 1971.

Please describe your AIESEC career (positions, traineeship, conferences).

I took a traineeship to Melbourne, Australia and worked with the State Electricity of Victoria on load research. I was on the traineeship for a year and then stayed with the company for some time after the traineeship was completed. I then worked for the AIESEC US office in New York, first as an Administrative Assistant and then later as Exchange Controller for several years. Conferences attended – I remember the one in Bordeaux, one in Austria, and in Copenhagen. I also worked in Brussels for about three months with AIESEC International on a special project.

When you were AIESEC US Exchange Controller, how were matches made and what were the unique challenges for your role and AIESEC at that time? How did the AIESEC experience help you in your career?

We sent out and brought in between 300 and 400 students each. Regarding how the matches were made, this is an interesting question...I remember matches were made on the computer BUT it was when data cards were used. Several cards were punched (that really dates me!!) representing the data for each student. The program was also punched in and often both of these had to be redone several times until correct. We utilized facilities and the computers of a sponsor company but could only use the facilities after ten at night. Also the program was not perfected to be able to keep certain conflicting countries to match with each other.

I served on what was then called the arbitration committee at the conference and we would resolve the issues with those matches as well as others 'appealed' by the countries. My intent in regards to a career had been to go into international business but along the way I began working on services for supporting people with disabilities and never looked back. Rotary allowed me to keep the interest and desire of being involved in global matters, and to continue the travel and meeting people from around the world that I enjoyed so much with AIESEC.

As a District Governor of Rotary International, what similarities do you see between Rotary and AIESEC?

The primary missions are the same…working toward world peace and understanding. Rotary does this primarily through 'service'. Our motto of Rotary International is 'Service above Self' and it is based on Rotary helping their local communities as well as the worldwide community. There are many programs which might be interesting to AIESECers. The three that come to mind are: Group Study Exchange, Ambassadorial Scholarships, and the Peace Fellows program.

The Group Study Exchange is a program with 'paired' Districts. There are 532 Districts in the world and two districts from different countries will pair up and send a team for a month to each other’s country. The team consists of a team leader that is a Rotarian and then four other young professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are non-Rotarians. The professionals must have been in their career for at least a year. (This program may be changing to some extent in the coming years to focus primarily on 'like' occupations. It is in a pilot test at the moment.) Through this program, as a Rotarian I led a team to New Zealand in April of 2001.

Ambassadorial Scholars: Most Districts support one or more ambassadorial scholars each year to study at the university of their choice in a different country. Similar to AIESEC they select several schools so they may not always get their top choice. They are funded for study, books, up to $23,000 for the year. They must however complete a service project as part of their year of studies.

Finally, the Peace and Conflict Resolution Scholarships: there are six Rotary funded programs at seven universities around the world. Two types of courses are offered; a Master’s Degree, which is a 15 to 24 month program with a field study component or a Professional Development Certification which is a three month course with a two to three week field study in the curriculum. These are scholarships funded by Rotarians and there are around 60 students participating each year.

For all of these program you apply through a local Rotary Club but I think the Peace Fellow may be an exception. Rotary International is located in Evanston, Illinois. It is quite a fascinating place to visit on Sherman Avenue. Rotary has 33,000 clubs with 1.2 million members worldwide. The web site is rotary.org.

Any memories about your LC to mention?

We had a great group and it was such great training and experience to go into the companies and 'sell' internships.

As exchange controller, do you recall the major exchange flows? (i.e. the top countries US trainees went to and vice-versa)

At the time the US raised about 300 internships. I remember a lot of our students wanted to go to ‘Greece’, and of course Sweden and Switzerland.

Do you recall whether those three conferences were international congress or Europe congress?

These were international congresses. All of the exchanging countries were there.

Can you add a sentence or two about the project in Brussels?

Don’t remember exactly what this was. Actually I believe it was three weeks, not months and included a committee working out a new system for arbitration.

What is your non-profit and how long have you been there?

I have been at Rauch, Inc. for 18 years and previously in the same field with another organization for 19 years. We support people with disabilities; early intervention for children that were born with a disability or delay, job placement for individuals with disabilities that can work in the community. We operate an industry where we manufacture products and do sub contract work for companies using labor that is both disabled and non disabled. There is also supported living program for individuals with significant disabilities, non-vocational programs for individuals with severe disabilities and sign language interpreting programs, We serve about 650 individuals on a regular basis and the budget is around 6.6 million annually.

AIESEC US staff 1973 including Bettye Dunham, Don Mills, Bruce Walker, and others

1970s trainees and Georgetown study tour group

5:07 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

March 16

From the US to Japan: An AIESEC Expat's Story
HEEEEEEY AIESEC! Dave Ostreicher here...AIESEC Nagoya/Nanzan (Japan) Trainee in '99, and AIESEC Michigan alumnus from 2000-2004.

As an ice-breaker - and I know how all us AIESECers love those - I was asked to let you know what I got mixed up in while in the organization, so here goes (feel free to skip this part, no one ever is WoWeD by an AIESEC resume, since they are all so cool): Trainee, VP Incoming Exchange, VP Cultural, VP Finance/Operations, Faci/Organizer for numerous Local / Regional / National conferences, Delegate at Benebrits (Belgium, 2000), Faci at CELDS (Poland, 2001), Faci at National Motivational Seminar (Latvia, 2004), Faci at APXLDS (Japan, 2008), and Faci at APXLDS (Hong Kong, 2009).

Some of you who read the preceding paragraph might notice the large span of time I have managed to stay connected with the organization, and those of you whom I have had the pleasure to meet know that I was in school for a long time. So, you may be asking yourself, Self, "is Dave back in school," or Self, "is Dave still in school?" Well, unless you count the School of Everyday Life, the answer would be, "no." However, I did spend the last two years in Nagoya, Japan (anyone catch the irony that this is where I did my TN and learned about AIESEC for the first time?) as a member of the Body Parts Purchasing Division (no joke) at Toyota Motor Corporation where I was sent as an Intra-Company Transfer from our North American headquarters which is located just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Maintaining contact with my AIESEC friends - as many of us tend to do - afforded me the opportunity to keep up with what was going on with AIESEC in Japan, and in the Asia Pacific Region. This led to several interactions with Local Committees in Nagoya, and other cities in Japan. Moreover, Hiro Kinashi (AIESEC Keiko University Japan, 1965-1969; AIESEC Asia Region Coordinator, 1965-1970), whom many of you may "know" has done a simply incredible job of linking up with AIESECers from across generations, creating vibrant communities in Facebook and LinkedIn. Connecting in these ways led to an invitation to be the Key Note Speaker for an OB-AIESEC Nagoya meeting in 2008. OB is Japanese for "Old Boys," and is one way alumni are called in Japan, though alumnae were also welcome to participate. I spoke in Japanese on Friendship and how one makes friends - especially across, or in, a culture that is different from their own. It proved to be an interesting conversation, since many of the people in the room had spent a significant amount of time abroad in their careers.

Keeping in touch with AIESECers - both current students and alumni - made my time abroad that much richer. Our AIESEC family continues to grow, and I was honored to be a part of it in Japan, and through two APXLDS's. On top of that, presenting material in Asia has been a real learning experience for me. Though feedback was positive on the whole, the differences in interaction style with Eastern cultures, juxtaposed to Western cultures, was quite evident and something I look to improve in my own facilitation as time progresses. Just to give you a peek into what I mean: asking an open ended question to folks in a seminar in Ann Arbor is quite different than asking an open ended question to folks in a seminar in Tokyo. I found that more small group work with less public reporting-out seemed to work better. Have others had the same (or different) experiences while facilitating for business or pleasure in the East vs. the West? Please post your thoughts on AIESEC Life’s blog.

In conclusion, to those of us who find ourselves making a new home in a new land - near or far - I encourage you to reach out to the current AIESEC membership, and the alumni of the world's largest student led organization. World Peace isn't quite here yet, and we have a lot to learn from the current membership, as they have a lot to learn from us. Dollars and Yen only go so far.

So go on. Get out there.

AIESECly,
Dave Ostreicher

Hiro Kinashi at APXLDS 2008

Fuji Climb

7:20 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 16

First Chinese Trainee to the US via Denmark

This is a classic AIESEC story of three continents and three friends. Ni Xiaoming was an MBA student from China who joined AIESEC at the University of Southern Denmark in 1992. He heard about AIESEC from a university bulletin and attended an AIESEC information session. Xiaoming was immediately interested. "One thing that really got me on-board with AIESEC was the statement that we have been quoting for more than 50 years: Once an AIESECer, Always an AIESECer. I felt this organization is special and different, something I wanted to be part of."

Meanwhile, in the US in 1992, AIESEC Berkeley’s VP Exchange Lisa Johnson was trying to match one of their companies. "Autodesk was one of AIESEC Berkeley's strong supporters. They had taken trainees from Israel (Gal Kimmel) and India (Jagdish Amin), who both helped expand Autodesk's business into their home countries/regions. Autodesk wanted a trainee from China, which was a near impossibility at the time, but then by luck Xiaoming applied for a traineeship. Xiaoming stayed with me when he first arrived and I was astonished to watch him eat spaghetti for breakfast. I couldn't stomach the idea of pasta first thing in the morning. Now, after having lived in Asia for 7+ years I miss my morning bowl of noodles!" Lisa’s exchange efforts at Berkeley were a success, and she went on to serve as AIESEC US NCEC 1993-94.

After his initial arrival to the Bay Area, Xiaoming became the roommate of trainee Jagdish Amin from Mumbai, India. "We coming from India and China were definitely having cultural challenges adapting to the US culture. We enjoyed each other’s company and gave each other a lot of moral and emotional support, and of course we partied quite a bit. I was involved in Xiaoming’s traineeship at Autodesk. We wanted someone to work with us to open the China market. Xiaoming was a perfect person for this role."

Xiaoming’s traineeship lasted from May 1992 to November 1993. "At that time, Autodesk did all international business in the US headquarters. During the traineeship, I was trained on Autodesk’s Asia business practices, and was involved in doing the first China business deal as well as receiving China visitors. Later, my training and work scope extended to support Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh business as well. After Autodesk formed the new Asia Pacific organization, the VP wanted to officially opening up China operations, and sent me over to China to establish a subsidiary in 1994."

Fast forward to today, these three friends still keep in contact with each other and many other AIESEC friends they share. Xiaoming speaks Chinese, Danish, and English, and currently is in Beijing and serves on the board of AIESEC in China. Lisa lives in Istanbul, working from home while raising her son. Jagdish is now in the Bay Area, meeting regularly with AIESEC alumni there, and is co-founder of Harabara. So the classic AIESEC story of three continents and three friends goes on.

Ni Xiaoming training at AIESEC conference in China in 2009.

Ni Xiaoming (far left) with fellow board members and MC of AIESEC in China.

(Photos courtesy of Tzyy Wang, Ohio State and current Board Chair of AIESEC in China)

3:27 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

December 15

JoAnn Boland Scholarship Recipient Nisha Chittal Attends International Congress in Brazil

International Congress 2008 in Sao Paolo, Brazil was an experience I will never forget. I have been involved in many leadership roles and been to many small conferences in AIESEC, but there is really nothing that compares to the energy and the feel of an international conference.

We were in a fantastic hotel with bright college students and leaders from over 100 countries for almost 2 weeks. There’s probably no other time or place in the world where you can make friends with so many people from so many different countries all at the same time. And the people you meet are already great people, but they’re also the cream of the crop of AIESECers – the LCPs and MCs of each country are represented there and are some of the most brilliant minds this organization holds.

It was a really energizing experience to learn from all these people from different cultures, listen to inspiring alumni speakers, and experience traditional Brazilian culture as well. International conferences are a very unique experience, though are often out of reach for many members because of the high cost of travelling abroad. I would not have been able to go to IC last year if I hadn’t received the JoAnn Boland fund scholarship – it helped reduce the cost of the trip tremendously.

It’s funny to look back at the conference because the thing that stands out the most about IC to me now was the really incredible, inspiring individuals I met, and how they changed me. I’m so glad that I was able to attend an IC as part of my AIESEC experience and to have made such incredible friends as a result, with whom I still am in touch today.

Nisha Chittal on the left

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November 17

It's Good to Be Home: Letter from the Western Regional Conference

By Dee Olomajeye, AIESEC Cincinnati LCP '96 and MCVP AIESEC Belgium '97-98

Twelve summers ago I left my LC (Cincinnati) to join the national team of AIESEC in Belgium. That was the very last time I participated in any way in an AIESEC conference in the United States.

Three weeks ago, in Simi Valley CA, I had the unexpected opportunity to "break the fast". I took part in my first AIESEC conference in the US — ROKS, the Western Regional AIESEC conference and all I can say is — IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME.

Now, I had expected the usual alumni-type activities — some mock sales calls, share some titillating and entertaining stories about the good old days, encourage some young AIESECers along and then continue on my merry way — in time for happy hour.

But then something quite unexpected happened the minute the alumni walked into the room - something changed. As we began to address the group, the energy went from room temperature to 110 degrees. So much so that I am certain that if anyone in that room had struck a match on the wall, they would have started a fire – it was that amazing! And this level of “amazing” stayed throughout the rest of the conference.

Thank you to three alumni who volunteered to speak and share their AIESEC experience at the AIESEC West Coast Regional Conference on October 24 in Simi Valley CA. (L-R) Dee Olomajeye (Cincinnati), Trice Mason (UCLA), and Jason Call (UCLA).

I started to wonder what it was that made the experience so magical? What was it that inspired these young AIESECers about their alumni? Was it our impeccable mock sales call skills? The fact that we re-established “AIESEC Sales is Tough As Nails” as the sales teams’ call to arms? Our regaling stories about that “one time in Prague”? What was it?

As I drove home, it hit me – the word I was looking for was VALIDATION.

You see, we all need encouragement, we all need appreciation and we all need some sort of corroboration from a trusted source, that what we are doing in this world is not in vain and that it means something. Those young AEISECers may believe that AIESEC can change the world but it sure helps if every once in a while, an alum who has been in their shoes and continues to believe in AIESEC, stops by, gives them some “words of wisdom” and a pat on the shoulder. “Carry on, press on, for what you do here does make a difference – I guarantee it!”

The lesson I learned from ROKS was this: We as alums have a lot to give back to AIESEC. And as we consider how we go about doing this, we should never forget that the most powerful gift the alumni have to offer IS the alumni.

First, start with yourself. Give of yourself, and the rest will follow.

9:55 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

JoAnn Boland Scholarship Recipient Gina Palmisano Attends International Congress in Brazil

International Congress 2008 in Sao Paulo Brazil was absolutely one of the greatest experiences of my life. It is one of those many adventures that travelers come across so often that are difficult to express adequately to anyone who has not been on the journey.

How do you appropriately articulate being in a room with 600 delegates from over 100 countries and territories, plus such incredible alumni and influential world leaders? How does one express the incredible sensation of walking into a room to see my mentor when I first joined AIESEC, who in 2008 was on the MC in Colombia, and is now going to be living in Rotterdam and working for AI? Or, the excitement of dancing before a session with hundreds of other people who have learned the exact same moves you did when you did not even comprehend what "AIESEC " could mean to you?

Gina Palmisano on the right

The simple truth is, it is not possible. I realize continuously how each day of IC impacts my life in a new and enriching way, and while I can give glimpses of the joy, growth, challenges, excitement, knowledge and passion, the most important thing is to encourage others to make the plunge and go for themselves.

That is why I am so incredibly lucky to have been given the chance to go to IC through the Jo Ann Boland Fund. If I had not received this scholarship there is no possible way that I could have made the journey, and I would honestly be a less well-rounded, internationally influenced and driven person had I not been given the opportunity to attend. I am a self-proclaimed proud conference junkie. To me conferences are where I see the potential in myself and others most groomed and the spark to be a change agent shine the brightest. They are the foundation for building a stable local community and for brainstorming how to create a better tomorrow, and realizing the implementation process that can actually get everything accomplished.

The period right after a conference is when I see people being the most productive because they are riding the high of what they experienced. Conferences provide the environment for expanding your mind and spirit in so many ways including world view, AIESEC competencies, global network, and so much more. Given that AIESEC has a conference somewhere in the world happening almost every single day of the year, just think of how motivated AIESECers around the world are at any given time! I truly believe that this motivation and spirit manifests itself into progress towards a more culturally aware and collaborative world. I cannot help but use a quote I wrote down during a presentation at IC 2008 to sum up the impact AIESEC makes, "The Future Lies in AIESEC. Better leaders. Better world," Martin Stier, Deutsche Post World Net.

Thank you again for providing me with the means to participate in the greatest AIESEC conferenc e of my life to date! I am eternally grateful.

6:19 PM GMT | Read comments(1)

August 18

AIESEC Life's Blog

AIESEC Life is trying out a new blog to post on its website www.aieseclife.org. AIESEC Life's past blog entries have shared stories about alumni since September 2007 at aieseclife.nomadlife.org, along side the blogs of many other AIESECers.

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September 14

AIESEC Trainees Who Don't Drink
By Angelika Ilina and Joel Sanders (LCP, AIESEC Colorado '93; U.S. VP '94-95)

It was the night before Ramadan, and a dozen or so AIESEC Colorado alumni found ourselves with a half dozen current members of our LC and three trainees from Oman. The trainees were sponsored by alumnus Jeff Popiel through the SALAAM program, which focuses on placing Middle Eastern trainees with U.S. companies. (Jeff sponsored five trainees in total, but only three could make it to the party).

Yes, booze was to be served, and no, the trainees weren't going to be partaking, and yes, we had cleared it with them, and YAY! they were cool with it. But would we still make them uncomfortable? These were AIESEC trainees who DON'T drink and WON'T do body shots, balloon dances, or buffalo slams. How else do AIESECers break the ice?

AIESEC Colorado alumni with Oman trainees

So we met two lovely young women (Aiesha and Asma) who were dressed in traditional clothing, complete with head scarves and long-sleeved shirts. A cheerful young man (Ammar) jumped into Jeff's arms for a huge bear hug, and we were off to the cultural understanding races! Only one cultural blunder of note: a couple of male AIESEC alumni extended hands in greeting to the women, only to be told that touching a man's hand isn't allowed. Oops. Yes, after 60 years of AIESEC, we can still use a dash o' cultural understanding. And aren't we lucky to have the chance to get it?

OK, so on with the juicy stuff: Rules on dating and marriage in Oman.

It turns out that women and men are not allowed to "date" before marriage. Instead, they get "an engagement period." In other words, guys, you're either on the train to marriage or you're not going out with girls. They don't fool around in Oman. Pun intended. :-)

So here's how it works: If a guy likes a girl, he comes to her parents with a proposal. If she likes him, she accepts the proposal and the engagement period begins. Or she declines the proposal and awaits the stud she's REALLY got a crush on.

The engagement period lasts anywhere from two weeks to two years. They can go out together, but always with a chaperone. The gal can stop the engagement period at any time, and continue having several engagement periods until she finds a man she'd like to marry. Overall, it doesn't sound too bad, except for the third wheel that's present at all times.

Interestingly, there are lots of cousins who marry in Oman. The reason? There aren't many places where men and women can meet. They aren't allowed to socialize together. So other than meeting in school or the workplace, the only other place to meet is through family. And since cousins grow up together, there's built-in trust.

It just MIGHT be a better system than our AIESEC girls watching a balloon dance and trying to figure out if there might be chemistry there. Or dare we say physiology? (We actually described the balloon dance to the trainees, which resulted in an expression of horror on Ammar's face and giggles from the gals).

But what about America itself? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Aaisha commented that, before arriving, they were all preoccupied about how they'd be treated here. Would they be insulted because of their traditional clothing? Spit at? Or worse?

"We LOVE it here," she exclaimed, her eyes beaming. "We don't want our traineeships to end!"

Hmm. Five trainees return to Oman, overjoyed with enthusiasm about their experiences in America. Think AIESEC still has a place in the world today?

6:44 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

October 19

JoAnn Boland Scholarship Recipient Cynthia Wong Attends International Congress in Brazil

IC is SUCH an experience! This was all I heard about International Congress prior to going. As it turns out, there truly are no other words to describe the magnitude of such a 10 day conference.

I was in India on my second developmental traineeship when I applied to be part of the US delegation at IC. There, I worked closely with the founder and president of a globally broadcasted NGO called ArriveSafe, the only NGO in India dedicated to Road Safety. As he was paralyzed from a car accident and I had experienced personal losses due to car accidents, the two of us were part of a team determined to challenge a country’s attitude about the severity of an issue barely turns heads, yet annually leaves over 100,000 Indians dead, impacting so many millions. I gained a crucial sense that summer of the potential one individual has to make monumental impact.

Cynthia Wong (Illinois) on the far right

It was during this time I became a recipient of a scholarship founded to honor JoAnn, the former MC VP HR in 1992, who herself was a victim of a fatal road accident. I was touched that the JoAnn Boland Scholarship provided me with the financial capabilities to attend International Congress 2008 in Brazil and enable me to play my role in growing AIESEC and ensuring more socially impactful experiences like mine.

Fast forward a couple months and I found myself caught in the crazy world that is the IC Global Village. Over 100 booths brimming with scrumptious delicacies and embellishments brought from faraway lands. Eager AIESECers at each booth clad in traditional wear, ready to bless you with an orange Hindu dot on your forehead or paint your name in Arabic or Chinese calligraphy on your arm. You find yourself lost in the sea of AIESECers getting lost in the aroma of each country as you traveled around the world, table by table. Cue Bebot by Black Eyed Peas, and the building erupts in cheers as hundreds flock to the central dance area to follow the AIESECers onstage from all corners of the world leading the dance made an instant international sensation when the AIESEC US delegation introduced it at the previous IC. Indeed, International Congress enabled me not only to grasp the scope of such a global organization, but to fully engage in it. Never in my farthest reaching dreams did I imagine that I would have friends from such exotic countries like Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, and many more to complete the alphabet. Yet, here I am today with a truly global network, having transversed 26 countries for AIESEC internships, conferences, and reunions.

AIESEC was founded in 1948 after WWII on the key principle that direct student interactions will foster cultural understanding and international cooperation for a peaceful and sustainable future. Nowhere else did this become ever more apparent than 60 years later at IC 2008. National pride in one’s own country as the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China captivated the world audience. A cultural dosage during Brazilian night. Countries such as Morocco and Mexico woven together side-by-side at Global Village. Swapping AIESEC t-shirts. Constructing kites in workshops to build group social-venture enterprises. Collectively sharing and brainstorming with LCPs across the world about how to dream big for our LCs. Country meetings to build partnerships between countries to increase exchanges. Global unity in classic AIESEC dances such as Le-Le and Tunak Tunak. World issue discussions about AIDS/HIV, climate change, the Israel Palestine conflict and how AIESEC plays a role. Applauding the growth of AIESEC in countries like Iran, Algeria, and Oman. Talk about how we could further expand AIESEC into North Korea and Saudi Arabia. And at the Closing Ceremony, AIESEC Togo singing “We are all AP… We are all MENA...", and AIESEC China adapting the Olympic theme song to “One Dream, One World, One AIESEC“….

So much of the IC experience illustrates the relevance of AIESEC in our world. AIESEC has not merely existed for 60 years, we have thrived. As the conference theme would most accurately articulate, Responsible Youth. Sustainable Future.

8:21 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

Kelly Fuson's First Trimester at Thunderbird University

I joined AIESEC while attending Cal Poly State University (San Luis Obispo) in 2003 and that is also where I heard about Thunderbird for the first time. My advisor, who also happened to be the advisor for our LC, recommended that I keep Thunderbird on my radar after I graduated if I was serious about wanting to be involved in international business.

Several years later I started to investigate further and made a trip to visit the campus during one of their Hospitality Weekends (now known as a 360 Preview Weekend) which invites prospective students to spend an entire weekend on campus meeting current students and alumni. The weekend ends with a Regional Night, full of food, music and dancing. I couldn’t help but feel completely at home. It was as if I had gone back in time and was attending just another AIESEC regional conference.

Kelly A. Fuson and her classmates at the Thunderbird Pub

Now that I am an official student (1^st Trimester, Traditional MBA program) I can say that it’s not exactly like old times. There is a lot more reading, a lot more writing, and a lot less free time than when I was an AIESECer in undergrad. But that’s what I came here for: to be challenged intellectually and culturally.

Thunderbird has absolutely lived up to its reputation for being a truly global business school. Just last night I was out on the town with thirty of my classmates. I turned to my right and spoke to two friends from South Korea, then I turned to my left and joked around with another classmate from Iceland. My learning team, which I was assigned to for all of my classes, consists of myself (Californian), a girl from Jordan, a guy from South Korea, a guy from India, and another guy born in France. This is typical for Thunderbird, but not so for other business schools.

But enough about my experience. Let’s hear from some other current students about their previous experience with AIESEC and reasons for coming to Thunderbird.

Jesse Markham was a member of AIESEC at Arizona State University (ASU) located in Tempe, Arizona. Jesse was in the process of being matched with a company in Australia last fall until the global economic downturn ended the process.

Much in the same way that I heard about Thunderbird, Jesse first heard about the school from his advisor at ASU. Also, being located near the school itself meant that he occasionally crossed paths with former T-birds (affectionate term given to students who have attended Thunderbird). He, too, attended a Hospitality weekend and “realized I truly belonged at Thunderbird and the other schools I was considering were not even close.”

“Thunderbird embodies everything in an educational institution that AIESEC represents as an organization. I believe that if you loved your AIESEC experience and want to further your career in a global setting that Thunderbird is the next logical step in achieving that goal. There is no other graduate business program where you can find the kind of diversity, cultural understanding and global mindset like you can at Thunderbird.”

Saloni Lahkani joined AIESEC in 2004 as a member of Mumbai, India. In addition to matching trainees to internships, she organized the first AIESEC MUN (model united nations/mock UN debate) for AIESEC Mumbai.

She agrees that the same force that drove her to join AIESEC also drove her to choose Thunderbird.

“The fact that so many countries are represented on campus makes it overwhelming (in a good way). I just hope that behind all the assignment, mid terms and finals chaos we do break international cultural barriers and get to know everyone a lot better!”

That brings up another point as to why more and more multinational companies come to Thunderbird to hire their students. The classes here don’t just emphasize business practices, rather, they emphasize the practice of business across different cultures. Therefore, every lecture and every assignment provides us with an opportunity to learn about the perspective of our international classmates.

As Saloni says, Thunderbird is “the next best thing after AIESEC that will keep cross cultural interaction, intellectual diversity going.”

Tamaho Quinn was also a member of AIESEC at Arizona State University from 2001 to 2003, where she met her AIESEC love who is now her husband of five years. Tamaho was in charge of building relationships with local businesses in the Phoenix area and organizing social activities for the members, including a trip to the Grand Canyon. Since she was already an international student who came from Japan, she did not end up going on a traineeship.

According to Tamaho, the “sense of an international community is very unique to Thunderbird, it's not just a diploma mill, where people go to school and then leave. Thunderbird has really established an international community, something that AIESEC strives to achieve.”

Tamaho Quinn at her wedding

But how about from the school’s perspective? According to the Director of Admissions and Recruiting, Jay Bryant:

“AIESEC and Thunderbird are a perfect match for each other since our missions are so similar. The Global Mindset that we appreciate so much here at Thunderbird is found in every AIESEC member that I have had the opportunity to meet. “

In case you’re wondering, Thunderbird’s mission statement is: “We educate global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide.”

8:30 PM GMT | Read comments(0)