Legends Among Us: Roger Conhaim

Alumni Spotlight

Roger Conhaim, Founder, AIESEC Cornell & AIESEC United States

We are excited to share a piece written by Roger Conhaim.  Roger’s roles in AIESEC between 1958-1970 included founding AIESEC Cornell, assisting in founding the AIESEC-US National Committee where he was the Latin American Extension director; AIESEC U.S. National Committee President attending meetings in Lisbon, Barcelona and Berlin and advisor to start-up local committees in Cleveland and Minneapolis.

Wally Weiss Conhaim founded AIESEC-Smith and was a delegate to AIESEC International Congresses in Marseilles and Berlin 1962 and 1963.

Please enjoy the following alumni submission by Roger. 

Reflections on my AIESEC Journey

By Roger Conhaim

My time with AIESEC began when in college, a strong desire to tour Europe hit after I had traveled across the United States 2-3 times and felt that Europe should be next (according to what is now considered to be my “white privilege”).  What started as a young person’s conceit became a commitment to experiencing the world and its peoples and cultures.  Truly a life-affirming passion that has never left me.

We early AIESECers shared a vision of world peace and America’s role in preserving it in what was then the post-WWII era with its Cold War concerns.  The short-term opportunity to work for a “living wage” in a foreign country was extremely appealing for its affordability alone!  And AIESEC’s student-administered nature was unique among international exchange programs of the era - a major benefit to young people seeking leadership skills and experience.

My personal passion enabled a long and fruitful marriage with my fellow AIESEC-US leader Wallys Weiss Conhaim.  We then enabled our next generation – two kids who seized similar opportunities to travel and explore other cultures even earlier in their lives: starting with language camps, exchanges in Japan and Israel, a Fulbright fellowship for daughter Danielle, and permanent life abroad for David.  Student exchange became a family mantra and passion, kindled by my traineeships in Rome (1959) and Bogota (1961) and my wife, Wally’s junior year abroad in Geneva (1960), and her subsequent work at the International AIESEC Secretariat in Geneva and as AIESEC-US first Executive Secretary out of  52 Vanderbilt Avenue in NYC.

AIESEC attracted me for many reasons, some of which are listed below:

• Comradeship with people of similar age who shared a vision of world peace through international exchange for training in business practice and government.
   
• Opportunities for foreign travel and work experience through traineeships.
   
• Leadership and diplomacy in the organizing of student committees in universities and colleges across the U.S.A. and later in South America under the guidance of the AIESEC International office in Geneva.
   
• Participation in several student-led mini-U.N. style international meetings, annual world congresses dealing with the student exchange process, and study tours. Many student leaders participated at these events who never took a traineeship but who appreciated the vision and mission of the organization.
   
• Opportunities to collaborate with senior international government and business leaders and entrepreneurs in their capacity as advisors and directors for the national committee.

AIESEC represented to me the optimistic spirit of the post-war era and fortunately, my parents and other family members were very supportive.