Roxana Antochi, generation 2009
1. Why did you become a member? Why are you still here?
Hi, I am Roxana and I have been an AIESEC’er for a year.
Applying for AIESEC was a bit different in my case, because I kind of stumbled on the application form while surfing on the internet. And that was right before the closing of the applications.
An important reason why I chose to fill the application form and not pressing the “back” button of the opened window, was because I must have known, deep down, that I needed something else in my life, a change. You see, the year before was very challenging for me and it didn’t end up as I wanted to, so I was a bit depressed and confused about lots of things.
Now that I think back, it was mere luck that it just came to me, the solution. At that moment, I didn’t have many hopes about it, I just filled in the application and kind of forgot about it, until I was called in the break between classes and was told that I got an interview in a couple of days. :)
Why am I still a member? That’s quite simple: I just love being here, I like the people, the teams I’m part of and the fact that I understood that if you work enough for something, it can be achieved and you can make a change around you-no matter how small it may seem compared with the “big wide world”.
2. What are the changes that AIESEC brought in your life?
I have met beautiful people, as in beautiful souls. I smile more often and I m more optimist about my future. I do small things everyday that, I know in time, will count to realizing my goals. But mostly, I think it gave me a direction, in a time when I didn’t have one.
3. What role does AIESEC have in your future career?
I learn a lot, like promotion of projects, being part of different teams, coordinating a six months project, interacting with NGO’s, international students and that adds up in time and I will have earned soft skills that will help me in many situations, not just my career.
4. Can you pick a main challenge from those you had to face so far as an AIESECer?
All unknown things are challenges for us before getting to work on them. But to answer the question, the main challenge for me is the present one: that of coordinating my team on U’connect project which aims to bring international AIESEC volunteers to work in local NGO’s and Cultural Centers on different areas such as fundraising, marketing, project management, grants.
5. What does cultural diversity means to you in AIESEC? Tell us when did you actually feel it.
Definitely this summer, at Iashington Conference and during the time when we had 14 international students in Iasi on GROW, International Kindergarten projects. It meant talking to these people and finding out stuff I had no idea about, like for example Jose, one of our trainees on International Kindergarten, told me that he found Puerto Rico very similar to Romania and I was like: really? But it seems that it is a bit like this, in the way people act and the infrastructure.
6. What is the coolest thing you've done in AIESEC?
I think one of the coolest things was participating in Iashington 2010 International Conference, which brought cool people with different backgrounds from Germany, Greece, Turkey and Romania and great speakers like Madalin Matica who changed my perspective on some things, Dr. Cristian Andrei, Mihail Musat, Lucian Ghinda, Deniz Senelt. Yeah, it was pretty awesome :X
7. And... a message for our future members?
Take the things that suit you best in AIESEC, you can’t do it all, but you can do great things and have great people around you. It’s one advice I once received as well.
Madalina Buzdugan, generation 2008
1.Why did you become a member? Why are you still here?
I never liked sitting around and doing nothing. I knew aaboutAIESEC from highschool and I liked the people there and their energy. I knew about the internationalism touch and the fact that young students are doing useful projects in their spare time. I was in love with the idea that I could be different from my faculty colleagues/
2. What are the changes that AIESEC brought in your life?
I became aware of my potential, my strenghts and my weaknesses and I started improving myself. I left my comfort zone and challenged myself every single day. I discovered a new passion that is COMMUNICATION and I put effort, time and energy in developing it.
3. What role does AIESEC have in your future career?
AIESEC has already broaden my perspectives, as I can now use my results from my AIESEC experience to get in contact with other people and join external projects. I can always ask for recommendations from the organization that developed me professionally and I hope it will remain as a support in my career.
4. Can you pick a main challenge from those you had to face so far as an AIESECer?
I've been involved in 5 projects, a serie of events and initiatives, around 15 conferences and a national position. I've invested as much as I was able to in every single one of them. One of my deares challenges regards my project coordonator position when I got the chance to create, implement and work hard with my team in order to create a new event in AIESEC Iasi and also set a standard of quality at delivery.
5. What does cultural diversity mean to you in AIESEC? Tell us when did you actually feel it.
Being a trainer on Spring Grow 2010 gave me the chance to personally and professionally interact with one of the trainees. The trainings that left us without any energy at the end of the day, the neverending gossiping lunches or the fun hanging out nights wwere always full of cultural stories, differences between romanians and indiens and promises to visit eachother no matter what.
6. What is the coolest thing you've done in AIESEC?
I can't make up my mind :) It may every conference I've ever been to, the nights when we worked until 12 p.m in the AIESEC office, all the amazing people I met or the small things we do for eachother every day.
7. And... a message for our future members?
AIESEC will surely change you. You just need to figure out if you want to be different and if you're ready to take up challenges after challenges. After that, come down to our office and join us. Let the adventure begin.
Madalina Ungureanu, generation 2009
1. Why did you become a member? Why are you still here?
I first heard of AIESEC when I was in 11th grade and took part in a project called AIESEC Teenz. Mainly it was the organization at a much smaller level in 5 of the highs chools from Iasi. So when I heard, in my 1st year of uni, that AIESEC is recruiting, I didn’t think twice. I am still here because of all the things AIESEC has to offer – you have the chance of putting your ideas into practice, you can actually make a change instead of just complaining about stuff.
2. What are the changes that AIESEC brought in your life?
It transformed me. Firstly, I just couldn’t speak in public. I would turn red, my voice would start to tremble and so on. Now I’m able to speak in front of 50 or more people having almost no problem. Then, I learned here to express my ideas and opinions - to say what’s bothering me and also to think and come up with solutions and try to implement them. Finally, it helped me to see the bigger picture, to think of the impact and consequences of my actions.
3. What role does AIESEC have in your future career?
I am now studying psychology, so being on the human resources department gives me some of the practical knowledge that I need. My dream is to open my own practice, but until then, I might work in a company at some point. Not where I want to end up, but it could be a step. Plus, you get to learn here a lot about how to be an entrepreneur.
4. Can you pick a main challenge from those you had to face so far as an AIESECer?
The mail challenge is to constantly challenge myself. To take the opportunities that from which I can learn something new and that help me develop myself.
5. What does cultural diversity means to you in AIESEC? Tell us when you actually felt it.
I’ll start with when I felt it. I was part of the International Kindergarten project, where we brought 5 international students to work in kindergartens. And they were, literally, from all corners of the globe – Russia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Imagine staying at the same table with all these people and talking about different issues or just chatting – and the project lasted for 2 months. The feeling is undescribable, and it’s what AIESEC does. This is our main focus – bringing people and ideas from different corners of the world together.
6. What is the coolest thing you've done in AIESEC?
I believe that the experience above mentioned doesn’t match others, at least for the time being. J
7. And... a message for our future members?
Try to get a glimpse of the whole experience that AIESEC offers you. :)
