AIESEC Calgary

Quarterly Newsletter

April 2010

S p e c i a l T h a n k s |

Agrium is a participant in AIESEC’s Global Internship Program, and has enthusiastically

participated in other activities with AIESEC Calgary. Their involvement has been instrumental in the development of our organization, especially in the leadership field.

Nexen’s continuous support of AIESEC Calgary, not only financially, but by participating in its

Global Internship program, has had invaluable impact on the experience that the local has been able to provide for its members.

P r e s i d e n t ’ s M e s s a g e |

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

A I E S E C C a l g a r y | E x e c u t i v e s

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!

Meg Lyons, Former Local Committee President

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!

Mark Zanewick, Incoming Local Committee President & Former VP Corporate Relations

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.

Jamie Feng, Former 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.

Alexandre Ste-Marie, Incoming VP Communications

A I E S E C C a l g a r y | E x e c u t i v e s ( c o n t ’ d )

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

Kasia Kwiatkowska, Former 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.

Marinel Hizon, Incoming VP Outgoing Exchange

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.

Taheer Rahim, Former VP Finance

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!

Malaika Mendes, Incoming VP Talent Management

All I have to say is: AIESEC Calgary, prepare for

greatness!

Carol Chung, Incoming VP Alumni Relations

M e m b e r P r o f i l e | M e g L y o n s , L C P 2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0

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. 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. 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

study philosophy and comparative religion on the side…travel a lot, of course, and keep pushing/ encouraging others to travel as well . Will you be coming back to AIESEC Calgary? TBA! You may have to come visit me! 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, it’s hard work and continual self-reflection. AND make sure to go on Exchange!! We will miss you, Meg!

H

M e m b e r P r o f i l e | N i m r a A m j a d - A r c h e r

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

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.

I

Nimra and Kurt Archer are getting married on July 3rd. Wedding receptions will be held in Calgary, Pakistan, and the UK. Congratulations, guys!

A r t i c l e | I n d i s p e n s a b l e A d v i c e f o r A I E S E C e r s 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!

M e m b e r B i o | I r i s W o n g , W e s t R e g i o n a l D i r e c t o r

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 well-intentioned 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

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

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.

Iris, center, with Jamie Feng, left, and Gail Rego

I love my current role because I have realized my two strengths and passions: strategy and personal impact

A l u m n i P r o f i l e | L a y i a l E l - H a d 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 that the last thing I had left to do was work in an organizing committee for an international conference. As such, and with two AIESEC Calgary members that I had shared my AIESEC career with to date (Serge Basso and Eldon Lew), I moved to Malaysia for two months to work with an incredibly determined and motivated Congress Committee Team in order to put on an unforgettable International Congress 2009 hosted by AIESEC in Malaysia, an experience that I treasure very dearly. I, like many before me, have gotten a lot out of AIESEC including many friends from all

over the world, traveled to more than 10 countries, gained a professional network and received exposure to the non-governmental and corporate world. However, I must say, that the most important of all that I was able to achieve, and the main reason why I stayed in AIESEC for 6 years, was because I was given the opportunity and the freedom, if I so chose it, to learn and understand who I wanted to be without wavering on my values, for a purpose and vision that I deeply, till this day, believe in.

I

Layial, right, with fellow AIESEC alumni Eldon Lew.

A l u m n i P r o f i l e | C h r i s H s i u n g

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.

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 is also the

kind of network you

can carry with you

around the world

E v e n t s & A p p e a r a n c e s

N L D C May 12th - 16th, 2010

The National Leadership Development Conference will be an intense five day learning experience involving the local community, prominent business leaders, our national and local partners, and over 200 of AIESEC's top student leaders from 28 Canadian Universities. Visit www.aiesec.ca/NLDC2010 for more details

S M E C a r e e r F a i r April 8th from 11- 4pm in the Shell Forum

Within Calgary, over 75% of the workforce is employed by organizations with less than 500 employees. Undergrads however, are typically confronted with the same choices for employment when they graduate. Typically large organizations are the only ones whom have the budget to invest in campus recruitment denying recent graduates an excellent opportunity. Through the first annual SME Career Day, AIESEC and SIFE seek to bridge recent Haskayne grads to Small to Mid-size organizations who wish to invest in them. Visit www.smecareerday.ca for more details

I n t h e N e w s

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

AIESEC Calgary Quarterly Newsletter April 2010 C o n t r i b u t o r s Meg Lyons Nimra Amjad-Archer Iris Wong Layial El-Hadi Chris Hsiung Regai Dodo Alexandre Ste-Marie Richard Lam Mark Zanewick D e s i g n Alexandre Ste-Marie Jamie Feng E d i t o r Annie Gong For any inquiries about this newsletter, please contact the AIESEC Calgary communications team at : aiesec@ucalgary.ca Visit us online: www.aieseccalgary.ca Twitter: AIESECCalgary Facebook: AIESEC Calgary LinkedIn Group: AIESEC Calgary

© AIESEC Calgary MMX

All rights to respective owners

adsf