AIESEC Calgary
Quarterly Newsletter April 2010
Special Thanks|
Agrium is a participant in AIESEC’s Global Internship Program, and has enthusiastically participated in other activities with our local chapter. This involvement has been instrumental in the development of our organization, especially in our leadership aspect.
Nexen’s continual support of AIESEC Calgary in terms of both monetary contribution and participation in our Global Internship program, has had invaluable impact on the experience that the local is able to provide for its members.
President’s Message | AIESEC is an organization very unlike any other. With its massive global reach and unique structural composition, AIESEC can offer so many different experiences to so many different types of people and enrich the lives of both the students who are part of the organization and those around them. Largely because of these aspects, I am proud to say that I will be fulfilling the role of Local Committee President for the upcoming year. I have been a member of AIESEC for a year and a half now and have continually been exposed to the amazing people and opportunities that it has to offer with every new experience.
AIESEC has been a major part of my life since I decided to become involved in the organization, and I have gladly never looked back. Although I did not initially join with the motivation of self-development, I most certainly can say that I am not the person that I was at the beginning of my AIESEC career. I have taken away so many valuable experiences and lessons, and have attained an extensive list of memories and anecdotes that I am sure to carry forward with me in the future.
It is my hope, as well as that of my executive team, to inspire and expand that passion for AIESEC that can be found in AIESEC chapters all across the world within our own local chapter. Providing the most rewarding and developing experiences for our own members, while at the same time striving as a team to bring AIESEC Calgary to even higher successes this year. We are looking forward to have a year of high-standards, hard work, and above all else a truly enjoyable and meaningful experience.
Mark Zanewick Local Committee President 2010-2011
AIESEC Calgary | Executives Meg Lyons, Former Local Committee President My favourite memories include Skype-ing all night to finish our awards application, MJM grand (Mark, Jamie, Meg) at NC 2010 in Quebec City, NC 2010 (all of it), talking to new members at the info sessions and events, seeing the new executive team, and of course seeing AIESEC Calgary change and grow in countless ways in the past 12 months. Looking forward to seeing the impact you will make in the next year!
Mark Zanewick, Incoming Local Committee President & Former VP Corporate Relations Last year was full of amazing learning experiences, and now I get to help build on those experiences and take the local committee even further this year!
Jamie Feng, Former VP Communications Family of friends. AIESEC took me from Calgary to all corners of Canada. And in those dusty corners I met the craziest, most wonderful people and created some memories I won't need to remember to remember. They are ingrained into me, right beside my AIESEC XP.
Alexandre Ste-Marie, Incoming VP Communications The goals of the Communications team for this year will be to take ownership and standardize our message across our different communication platforms. A big focus will be put this year in the online side of communications in order to advertise our services while connecting with our members on a personal level. All while maintaining our great initiatives already in place such as the weekly internal newsletter and the quarterly newsletter for stakeholders.
AIESEC Calgary | Executives
(cont’d)
Kasia Kwiatkowska, Former VP Outgoing Exchange I think AIESEC is what you make of it. AIESEC exposed me to the power and potential of the corporate community from a new perspective. I will miss the energy of the organization and the exciting dynamic of my role as VP OGX
Marinel Hizon, Incoming VP Outgoing Exchange I expect a lot of personal and professional development this year. My goal this year is not only to increase the number of exchanges and realization rate, but also to make sure that the members and exchange participants experience the fun side of AIESEC.
Taheer Rahim, Former VP Finance I am a product of this organization. I cannot think of a single other experience that has shaped me more than my AIESEC experience. I cannot think of people I admire and respect more than those in this organization. My only regret is that I had not gotten involved earlier.
Malaika Mendes, Incoming VP Talent Management 2010-11 is AIESEC Calgary's year to shine. My personal goal this year is MORE. More members at conferences, more exchanges, more inter-portfolio interaction, more leadership, and more spirit!
Carol Chung, Incoming VP Alumni Relations All I have to say is: AIESEC Calgary, prepare for greatness!
Member Profile |Meg Lyons, LCP 2009-2010
H
er charisma and leadership has played an integral part in the success of AIESEC Calgary. She recently ended her term as Local Committee President, and will be leaving for Pakistan on June 10th, to serve a year as the Vice President Talent Management and Local Committee Development for AIESEC Pakistan. Meg Lyons reflects on her 3 years with AIESEC Calgary.
Tell us a bit about yourself. I am a psychology student in honours graduating this year, I speak intermediate Spanish, I love watersports (e.g., surfing, diving, boating) which I now combine with a fascination for religion, philosophy, psychology, history and good conversations. I am also turning 25 years old this year (something that Mark and Jamie never fail to remind me of...). Tell us about your experience with AIESEC. I came back from travelling obsessed with international experiences, and starting Googling opportunities to go away shortly after getting home. It was through Google that I found AIESEC, although I didn't really understand what the organization was about until I saw an AIESEC banner for Careers Day on campus. This confused me even more so I
went and asked Harshitha who was signed me up for an info session. After I met Layial (President at that time) and Andrew, I was hooked.
study philosophy and comparative religion on the side…travel a lot, of course, and keep pushing/ encouraging others to travel as well .
Do you have any favourite memories? Lots of great memories! Snowball fight at NC in Montreal, EB meetings, tons of great conversations, learning about yourself, napping on a pyramid in Mexico with Sunny and Jer during LDS in Mexico City, seeing the new EB this year, Skype-ing with the team till 4am to finish our award application, the list goes on.
Will you be coming back to AIESEC Calgary? TBA! You may have to come visit me!
What are your future plans (beyond AIESEC)? I want to go to the University of Hawaii at Manoa to do my PhD in Community and Cultural Psychology, and I also want to
Do you have any parting words for new and current members? Don't think that leadership ability is innate – it’s not. Everyone you admire has doubted themselves at some point, its hard work and continual selfreflection. AND make sure to go on Exchange!! We will miss you, Meg!
Member Profile |Nimra Amjad-Archer
I
t all started with meeting Kurt Archer in the city i grew up in - Lahore, Pakistan. Kurt was an AIESECer. I knew nothing about AIESEC, but I was impressed with the leadership, vision, knowledge and the cultural flexibility that he had and the ability to make things happen. Kurt left Pakistan shortly after, but conversations about his amazing experiences of working in and travelling to different countries and cultures stayed with me. AIESEC seemed perfect: I had always loved traveling, taking on new challenges, and wanted to connect with people from all over the world. Soon after, I contacted the LCP and was invited to an info session. There was no looking back. The first thing I did as an AIESECER was attending an amazing conference where I met people from all over the world. The young energy and dynamism of my first AIESEC conference still resonates with me. I saw firsthand how AIESEC promoted peace. I met youth from India, a neighboring country Pakistan has always been in conflict with. At the conference, all misconceptions and differences were promptly replaced by lasting friendships and mutual understanding. Today, AIESEC India is
fundamental in AIESEC Pakistan's continued success. Within a month of joining, I was working with the National Team (MC) as Pakistan's first Opportunities Coordinator, going on marketing calls, promoting AIESEC to local companies, and promoting Pakistan globally in the AIESEC network as part of the AIESEC Experience Pakistan campaign. The confidence AIESEC instilled in me inspired me to go to film school part time in the evenings (along with my B.Sc Environmental Science degree during the day). This led me to become the production manager and assistant director for Pakistan's first documentary series shot in HD, as well as coordinating and running a workshop on Corporate Social Responsibility with a learning partner for young business leaders. Usually exchange happens a bit later in one's AIESEC career, but I craved travel! I applied for a CEED (Cultural Envoy for Exchange Development) in Calgary, Alberta. My visa was rejected, but with support from LCP Meg Lyons, the local partners and BOA, I finally made it to Calgary. I was awed by the quality of work that the EB produced. Mark Zanewick, Taheer Rahim, Jamie Feng and Serge Basso went out of their way to help me. People were
Nimra and Kurt Archer are getting married on July 3rd. Wedding receptions will be held in Calgary, Pakistan, and the UK. Congratulations, guys!
very eager to learn more about Pakistan. AIESEC was the perfect platform for clearing misconceptions about my country, and I am extremely grateful to AIESEC Calgary for giving me that opportunity. It was absolutely worth it, and the visa application process is nothing more than a distant memory now. I am now back to Pakistan where I plan to apply what I learnt and look forward to receiving Meg Lyons as our MC VP! AIESEC is truly what it says it is: a platform. It is up to you to not only embrace the opportunities available to you, but also create them, and embark on whatever experiences that are relevant to you. It’s in your hands.
Article | Indispensable Advice for AIESECers By: Iris Wong, Regional Director - Western Canada
Hang out with the interns! This gives purpose to the hours that you are putting into AIESEC. Every task that you do, every meeting that you attend indirectly allows us to change real lives one at a time. The coolest thing is that having an intern here is like getting a free plane ticket for you to their country – they are bringing their culture to you! Be engaged with the rest of the LC! AIESEC Calgary is one team. You will get more out of your extra-curricular experiences if you are having fun and you feel a connection with the organization. Go to conferences! You develop your functional skills, transferable skills and meet cool people who would otherwise not be in your network. I highly encourage you to attend an international conference! Go on exchange! You have will have not lived your AIESEC Experience without going on exchange! Why would anyone say ‘no’ to a truly life-changing experience? ‘Just attack it!’ (Words of wisdom my guitar teacher.) Have some confidence in yourself. Ask questions if you are uncertain. Speak with your VP if you are intimidated. Find resources if you run into trouble. See challenges as opportunities to grow. You will do much better in your role if you are confident in your own abilities. Do well in school. AIESEC is great because you see the relevance of the concepts that you learn in school. Sometimes, you might get really carried away with AIESEC and school gets put on the backburner. Remember that you’re at school to learn. A true leader assumes responsibility in all areas of their life. After all, one of our key values is striving for excellence!
Member Bio | Iris Wong, West Regional Director How did you get involved with AIESEC? It’s true that the reason why someone joins AIESEC is very different from why they stay in AIESEC. I joined AIESEC thanks to my sister. She would not stop talking about how cool AIESEC was. I finally gave into her wellintentioned nagging to give AIESEC a test-run. It didn’t take very long for me to develop a healthy addiction to AIESEC. The AIESEC values of “demonstrating integrity” and “striving for excellence” are still very important qualities of my self-actualization. Can you give us a brief overview of your AIESEC experience? I joined AIESEC in my first year of university. My first role was being the local Account Manager for our national large-scale exchange partnership with EnCana Corporation. I really enjoyed doing that, and signed up to be the Vice President of Incoming Exchange. I wanted to challenge myself even more, and moved on to become the President of AIESEC Calgary. Next, I wanted to give back to AIESEC by
Iris, center, with Jamie Feng, left, and Gail Rego
coaching/consulting others with my plethora of knowledge; so I was selected for my current role of Western Canada’s Regional Director. I love my current
I love my current role because I have realized my two strengths and passions: strategy and personal impact role because I have realized my two strengths and passions – strategy and personal impact. My next step is going on management internship through AIESEC. The “hierarchical mobility” of AIESEC really allows AIESECers
to stand out against university students who we will eventually be competing with for jobs. How many people our age can say that they have made executive level decisions? That they’ve managed multiple stakeholders’ interests? That they’ve acted as an internal consultant? That they understand relationship management? That they’ve implemented solutions to commonplace organizational challenges and bottlenecks? That they know how to work effectively on different teams? By the way, I am 21 years old and still a university student.
Alumni Profile |Layial El-Hadi
I
first joined AIESEC in September 2003 feeling that I was missing something in University. I had joined 5 clubs that semester, but AIESEC was the only one that I stayed in. Following two weeks of introduction to the organization, our Local Committee headed off to Edmonton for the Western Regional Conference. I can say that the moment I stepped into that large hotel conference room at Coast Edmonton Hotel Plaza, to see nearly 200 students cheering for their home LCs I knew that I was locked in for life. Upon my return from WRC, I participated in some LC activity and applied to be on the executive team. I was selected as VP Talent Management (although referred to back then as Member Development) and I ended up in the position for two years. Coming into my final months as VP TM I decided to apply for Local Committee President, and was given the incredible opportunity to lead AIESEC Calgary for a year. After what was one of the most challenging and rewarding years of my life, I decided to apply for the CEED program to India, and was able to experience a completely new and unfamiliar culture for two breathtaking months. Following my time in India, I immediately embarked upon my Member Committee term, in Doha, Qatar, as MC VP
Talent Management. Deciding that I would like the next step in my AIESEC Career to be back in my home country, and feeling that I had gained a lot that I wanted to share I applied for AIESEC Canada, and was able to live and work with an incredible 7 people, in an AIESEC Country that has yet to be rivalled in terms of its passion and potential, as MC VP TM. With my AIESEC career nearing its end, I felt Layial, right, with fellow AIESEC alumni Eldon Lew. that the last thing I over the world, traveled to more had left to do was work in an than 10 countries, gained a organizing committee for an professional network and international conference. As received exposure to the nonsuch, and with two AIESEC governmental and corporate Calgary members that I had world. However, I must say, that shared my AIESEC career with to the most important of all that I date (Serge Basso and Eldon was able to achieve, and the Lew), I moved to Malaysia for main reason why I stayed in two months to work with an AIESEC for 6 years, was because incredibly determined and I was given the opportunity and motivated Congress Committee the freedom, if I so chose it, to Team in order to put on an learn and understand who I unforgettable International wanted to be without wavering Congress 2009 hosted by AIESEC on my values, for a purpose and in Malaysia, an experience that I vision that I deeply, till this day, treasure very dearly. believe in. I, like many before me, have gotten a lot out of AIESEC including many friends from all
Alumni Profile |Chris Hsiung I joined AIESEC initially to be a part of the Career's Day committee back in 1995. After attending the first conference I was hooked. I later inaugurated the VPSN position at AIESEC Calgary. Prior to that VPSN and VPTN belonged to one position called VP Exchange. In that position I along with my team of twelve developed a process for recruiting, selecting, and preparing candidates for travel abroad. Reflecting upon my AIESEC experience, I appreciated the opportunity to meet people from different cultures even within Canada, to develop organizational and leadership skills, and as well, to get out of the engineering faculty once in awhile! In addition, I cannot deny that AIESEC was a great place to meet girls. Given my track record I suppose it's not so surprising that I ended up marrying a past AIESECer. AIESEC is also the kind of network you can carry with you around the world. When I was sent to Paris on an expatriate
assignment through my company, AIESEC was my first point of contact and it enabled me to make connections very quickly within France.
AIESEC is also the kind of network you can carry with you around the world The same goes for when I visited Taiwan. Beyond the traveling, the people I knew through AIESEC would later become part of my
business and personal network. Dean Koeller, the person who recruited me in the first place, is someone I work with closely today. What do I do today? Well after almost ten years in software engineering, I left that field to start my own company that helps people to build meaningful business or personal ventures. Concretely, I help people build businesses, develop their capacities, and envision the difference they want to make. AIESEC was a great place to exercise those dream muscles.
AIESEC Calgary | In the News
AIESEC Calgary Quarterly newsletter April 2010
Contributors Meg Lyons Nimra Amjad-Archer Iris Wong Layial El-Hadi Chris Hsiung Regai Dodo Alexandre Ste-Marie Richard Lam Mark Zanewick Raksha’s internship as one of Canada’s Globe Campus bloggers featured in the UofC Alumni eMagazine and UToday Julie Bogle’s experience in Jordan featured in UToday Promotion of AIESEC at UofC’s International Education Week
Design Alexandre Ste-Marie Jamie Feng
Editor Annie Gong
For any inquiries about this newsletter, please contact the AIESEC Calgary communications team at : aiesec@ucalgary.ca
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