Stories

Maris Pihle

I had been a member of AIESEC only for some short months when I decided to take a challenge and apply for a team leader position. While filling in the application and attending the interview I was excited and scared at the same time and that feeling grew even more when I heard that I was accepted for the position.

After announcing the new team leaders, the planning period started. I set all my goals and ideas with people who had more experience and knowledge. All the planning has taught me to carefully think all my ideas and plans through before I put them into practice. Not only did I learn new things about AIESEC, but about myself too. I got to know a new side of me: the leader. I have always been very organized and excellent in time management but this position showed me it´s not so easy to manage everything and time is very valuable.

Team leader plays a significant role in the overall development and encouragement of a team. The most important of all my duties as a team leader is to assign targets to all the team members and evaluate their performance. As a team leader I enjoy being responsible for my actions, encouraging and motivating my team members and work for our goals as a team. „The best leader is known for his actions“ is the motto I follow.

During the team leader position I have developed myself a lot. I have more courage and I think more responsibly in all my actions.  I am not afraid to share my ideas and see small things in a big picture. Team leader position is a great start to discover a leader inside of you and develop your leadership skills before heading to the future.

Liise Valma

I joined AIESEC in autumn 2006 and these have without a doubt been the most challenging, fulfilling and intensely developing years of my life so far. During those 5 years I’ve held four different positions within the organization which have developed my leadership and team work skills, educated me in financial, project and event management and increased my level of self-awereness remarkably. I’ve had the chance to meet many great business and political leaders in Estonia and outside of it who have inspired me immensely. All this has made me more self-contious and clear on my life goals, personal value-system and given me the abilities and needed network of contacts to fulfill every dream of mine.

Because of my activities in AIESEC I’ve travelled through most of Europe and visited some of the most incredible places, such as India, Mexico, Tunisia outside of it. The global network of contacts that I’ve developed during those visits will only add additional value to my professional career. Having met and worked with people from all over the world has increased my knowledge and understanding on cultural differences and made me more tolerant on different opinions and ways of living. The experience of working in virtual teams with people from all of the world will become handy in the globalized world as well. These are the skills and experiences that will be valued more and more in most of the workplaces during 21st century, which only makes me more competitive on the job market and gives me various choices for the future.

The unique organizational culture that AIESEC has, draws and keeps in  active young people with a great sense of humour, a wish to become greater then they already are and take our society forward by being active and caring citizens. These are the people that I consider my best friends for life.

Mari Sarapuu

Jambo from Kenya!

That’s true, I am in Nairobi, Kenya and I am participating in AIESEC International Congress, The biggest AIESEC conference for Leaders on a local, national and international level. I am the president of AIESEC Tallinn and that’s why I have the opportunity to be in this place. But not everyone gets here and I have had quite a journey so far.

I joined AIESEC 2 and half years ago, back when I didn’t know what I want or can do. In the meanwhile, AIESEC has given me so many opportunities and now I know what I am capable of, thus I keep surprising myself and others.

Before becoming a president of the local committee in Tallinn, which involves about 70 members, I managed outgoing exchange, meaning that I used to send students abroad for professional internship and voluntary work. I was the one providing young people in Tallinn the start for the experience of a lifetime and it’s making me also want to go on exchange and feel the same as the interns do.  Because of my leadership experiences I haven’t done that, but in the future for sure I am planning to have that experience as well.

I have a lot to be grateful for and AIESEC has really given me a lot of opportunities and I feel that I have an advantage which other students don’t at the moment, because not everyone can get to run a small organization while being also in University.

In these 2 and half years I have learned that AIESEC gives you as much as you give to AIESEC!

This is why I suggest you to take a lot out from this amazing international youth-run organization and see what it has to offer.

I know it can be full of surprises, because, when I joined I had no intention of becoming a president!

Ott Niggulis

I joined AIESEC back in 2007. By now it’s been 4 years that I have been involved with it in one way or another. I can honestly say that those years have been the best in my life. I’ve done and experienced things that I never thought I would.

Things like organizing a conference for 150 people, facilitating a session for 300+ people, leading a team, travelling to India for a month, have over 1000 friends on Facebook from every continent of our dear world, being in the same room with 500 people from 110 different countries, talking on every day basis with friends from around 10 different countries.

When I joined I was looking for something to do in my spare time but what I discovered was a magical world. A world where everything is possible and you can try out different things to really get to know yourself better and discover what you really want to do with your life.

In 2007 all I ever wanted to be was a chef for the rest of my life. Today I have a chef certificate, paramedic certificate and a bachelor’s degree on marketing on the way. I’ve come along way and AIESEC has played a big part in me becoming who I am today.

No organization can give you all the right answers or question – you have to come up with them yourself. But what organizations can provide, AIESEC included, is a platform to discover the right questions and answers that are right for you and you only. It gives you the opportunity – all you have to do is take and run with it.