Alumni Reunite, Explore Alumni-owned businesses in Portland

Twenty four AIESEC Alumni and a couple AIESECers from the "All-Wet Subregion" (PAC NW) gathered on November 1st to have what we hope will be the first of many joint alumni events in the region.

Fresh from Halloween revels the night before, we met at an Indian restaurant called Tandoor in the afternoon. After having some conversations we began to discuss the reasons we had all come together to meet again. We spoke of building a strong alumni community in the area, having more events, enabling the AIESEC chapters in Seattle and Portland, and of AIESECLife.

Following lunch Frank Foti, CEO of Vigor Industrial led a nine car procession to some of the 64 acres of land upon which rested his enterprise. Frank began the tour by donating two computers and some software to AIESEC Oregon. Frank spoke to us of how he started the business by basically buying a lottery ticket (the firm was many millions in debt and on the verge of filing bankruptcy) in a company whose work he knew very little about. Now, several years later, Vigor Industrial is profitable and growing, one of the few shipyards left along the Pacific coast.

After donning our hard hats and safety goggles Frank took us on a tour through his playground (the shipyard). He showed us how the massive ships were docked, cleaned, and moved. Needless to say, the general feeling among the attendees there was that we were indeed fortunate this day, for we were being given a chance to look into and learn about a world that was entirely new to us. Veritably, to meet a man, in Frank, who was an exemplary model of what it means to live the AIESEC way.

Following our unforgettable experience at the Shipyard we headed next to Portland Roasting Company, where we were met by Todd Plummer, AIESEC Oregon alumnus and co-founder of the company and Dan Welch, AIESEC Oregon alumnus and owner of World Cup Coffee. Todd and Dan led us on a tour through the warehouse and roasting areas en route to the cupping room. They spoke to us of the different markets the two firms operated in, how they had found their different paths into the coffee biz, how the firms had grown, and much more. Finally, we experienced the process of cupping, which is how coffee artisans sample and evaluate different coffee blends for taste, smell, et al.

The process involved a lot of slurping and spitting.  It was a lot of fun.  Having shown us the work of Portland Roasting Company, Todd gifted everyone there with coffee, courtesy of Portland Rosting Company.

By this time, we were all hungry so we adjourned to a microbrewery in the Pearl district for food and drink.  It was a nice way to end the day and we all agreed to do this again soon, next time in Seattle.  The conversations, work and networking that started here would be carried forth.

Pictures of the event are available at: http://cid-9cd44516827dd92f.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Portland%20Nov%201

AIESEC Alumnus Martti Ahtisaari wins Nobel Peace Prize

Celebrating 60 years of activating leadership, AIESEC congratulates alumnus and Nobel Laureate Martti Ahtisaari for his bold commitment to peace.

For the first time in 60 years, AIESEC is honored to congratulate an alumnus, and champion of the AIESEC vision of peace, for being awarded the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize.

"Nobel Laureate Martti Ahtisaari is a role model AIESEC alumni. His lifelong commitment to peace, participation and diversity reflects the best of 60 years of AIESEC history, enabling the leaders of positive change our world needs. On behalf of over 30,000 young people in more than 100 countries, I congratulate Martti Ahtisaari for his contribution to peace and the fulfillment of humankind's potential" , said Juan Cajiao, President of AIESEC International.

Joining AIESEC as a young student in Finland in 1963, Martti Ahtisaari was immersed in an international environment that pre-empted his future as a global peacemaker. With his role in peaceful negotiations, Martti Ahtisaari has embodied bold leadership, forging international co-operation in seemingly intractable circumstances. Reflecting on his early engagement with AIESEC, Martti Ahtisaari welcomes the world to work more closely with young people in the pursuit of peace. "I support the valuable activities of AIESEC in Finland and internationally. Therefore I encourage organizations and companies to find out more about AIESEC and support the work of these young people. " said Martti Ahtisaari.

As an AIESEC alumnus, Martti Ahtisaari joins over 800,000 former members, including fellow statesmen Junichiro Koizumi and Jan Eliasson. Today AIESEC has grown into a leading platform for young people to truly discover their leadership potential—and a real training ground for the world's next influential leaders.

"As a true leader of positive change, AIESEC thanks Martti Ahtisaari for his actions in bringing hope for a peaceful world to the young people of today" , said Juan Cajiao.

(from www.aiesec.org/AI)
(photo source: latimes.com)

Vacation in Puerto Rico to support AIESEC Life!

AIESEC NIU alumnus Jerry Allison and AJC International have generously offered a one week vacation in a beachside condo in San Juan, Puerto Rico to support AIESEC Life!

This premium 3 BR/ 2 BA oceanfront condominium in St Mary's Plaza is located in the Condado Beach area of San Juan. This high-rise development is in a gated community with a pool and is minutes away from popular tourist sights. The ocean views alone will leave you longing for the High Seas, but you will make many discoveries on land as you stroll though the cobbled streets and explore the historic forts of Old San Juan.

At nightfall, pick up the pace a little and savor a taste of the local life by dancing to the Latin beats or trying your luck at the casinos. Whatever your pleasure, San Juan is waiting for you to discover your new world. The condo is available either January 24-31, 2009 or February 21-28, 2009.

-The starting bid is $1500. You can enter your bid in the comments of this posting, or contact us by e-mail (jim@aieseclife.org) or phone (917-379-8439).

-Follow the current bids on our weblog.

-The auction officially closes at 5pm EST, Friday, October 31, 2008.

-Please contact us if you have any questions!

The First 30 Years of AIESEC

The attendance of alumni at the First 30 Reunion on Oct 11^th, 2008  speaks strongly to the dedication of AIESEC alumni and the power of the alumni network. 

A special thank you to John Allen, Bob Jaffe, John Tuschman and Ken Morse for co-hosting the event and to Joe Loughrey for being the emcee – without their contributions, the event would not have been possible.

Quotes from the Event

“Honesty and integrity do count, and they are noticed.” – David Dempsey

“Let’s not forget there are five generations of AIESEC alums now who want to learn from each other” – Frank Foti

“The channeling of self interest is an important part to achieving the vision.” – Ken Phillips

“Think global, go local….best thing we can do is help LC’s” – Morris Wolff

“ CFIMITYM – Cash Flow Is More Important Than Your Mother”  - Ken Morse

Conference Output Summary

*Panel discussion about “How have you continued to live your AIESEC’s values past your time in AIESEC?”

-Panelists talked about their history in AIESEC, how they have applied AIESEC’s values to their work and lives, and interesting stories about how AIESEC experiences have influenced their lives.  Please contact us if you would like a copy of any of the slides prepared by the panelists.

- Special thank you to our panel participants: Morris Wolff, Boyd Griffin, Peter Otto, David Dempsey, Preston Zoller, Sarah Endline, and moderator Ken Morse

*Update from AIESEC Life

-AIESEC Life presented some of the accomplishments we have achieved in the last 18 months, such as:

-Raising $300,000 -- $160,000 secured from 175 alumni and $140,000 pledged over the next 4 years.

-Raising 20+ alumni leads for traineeships

-Holding alumni events in New York, Denver, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, and DC

-Awarding four scholarships to current AIESEC members to go to international Conferences

-AIESEC Life’s future plans include:

(1) Launch and grow the online system

(2) Provide core services to alumni, such as:

–      Regular local and national alumni events

–      Online job board / career / grad school help

–      Structured opportunities to give back to AIESEC (scholarships, take a trainee, etc)

–      Mentorship programs and smaller networks (e.g. entrepreneurship circle)

    (3) Build an endowment fund to reach long term financial sustainability

*Discussion: “How can we use an AIESEC alumni organization to pursue AIESEC’s ideals enjoyably and productively after graduation and beyond?”

-Many ideas were suggested, most of which were rooted in the belief that coordinating alumni efforts with AIESEC United States can have a direct, positive impact on the world.

-Some of the ideas include establishing direct communication between older and younger alumni, ways in which alumni can give back to AIESEC without interfering with the current membership, discussions about current events, coordinated international travel, etc. 

-We will continue to build on the ideas from this conversation, as well as any others that alumni come up with!  Please contact us if you are interested in leading a specific effort.

AIESEC alumni reunite in Chicago!

Over the last weekend in September, alumni converged on Chicago to reunite with old friends, learn from fellow alumni and build an AIESEC alumni organization (yes, it wasn't all fun and games...we actually did some "work"!)  

Conference Output Summary

             *Presentation from Clarke Caywood

-He provided an interesting history and perspective from an alumnus, along with the Olympic torch!

 *Thunderbird University, University of South Carolina

-We will announce information about the AIESEC alumni scholarships in the general newsletter, but feel free to contact us if you would like to speak with either presenter.

*Panel discussion about “living AIESEC’s values after AIESEC”

-Panelists talked about applying AIESEC’s values to their work and lives, dealing with the “AIESEC hangover”, and unexpected ways their AIESEC experiences have been applied in their lives.  If you have notes from this session you would like to share with other alumni, please send them to us!

- Special thank you to our panel participants: Jerry Allison, Candice Popiel, Joel Sanders, Cris Arens, Lynda Funke, Ryan Gembala, Ola Ayeni, and Michele Honomichl.

*Break out groups discussing how AIESEC Life can help them

- Rickesh and Jim reviewed all of the output about how an AIESEC alumni organization could be part of our lives.  We categorized all of the feedback into four broad categories: (1) Help alumni continue to live AIESEC values, (2) AIESEC Life could be the “one stop motivation shop”, (3) AIESEC Life could help alumni work on projects together which are related to AIESEC’s mission, and (4) AIESEC Life could help alumni stay connected to like-minded people. 

-We will continue to build on the ideas from this conversation, as well as any others that alumni come up with.

No Excuses Pictures

*  Adam Brand has set up an album for No Excuses, (available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/adambrand/sets/72157607732423292/) to which can add your pictures! 

Weblog Content

Part of keeping the alumni community active is by ensuring there is a constant stream of user-generated content.  If you would like to write weblog entries that would be of interest to alumni (international travel stories, AIESEC histories, cultural perspectives, etc.), please contact Jim at jim@aieseclife.org.  

Profile of Laura and Alberto Casellas

Beto and I met at a National Leadership Seminar (NLS) in Moodus, Connecticut in 1988.  The place was a lot like the movie Dirty Dancing.  AIESEC had taken over the entire site for our August training for new leaders for the next school year.  Beto was going to be President of AIESEC Yale and I was Marketing Director for AIESEC Emory.  We worked hard all day and partied all night (probably hasn't changed from current AIESEC conferences).  One night he asked me to dance and that's the end of the story.  We never danced with anyone else and dated from then on.  Well, there is a little more to the story.....

After his Senior year at Yale he joined AIESEC United States as the Regional VP for the Southeast.  I was still in Atlanta for my Senior year and was the President for my chapter.  So he was my "boss".  The AIESEC US President (David Pollay- still our good friend)  teased us that every time Beto flew from NYC to visit an LC in the south, the plane had to stop in Atlanta.  After my senior year, I took Beto's job as RVP for the South with AIESEC US.  This was a fun month of transition between the old and new staff in June!  Beto went on to work for GE. 

After I finished my year on staff, I went on a traineeship to Barcelona, Spain.  Having been involved with AIESEC since my freshman year, going to an international conference in Switzerland, MANY regional and national conferences, and being on staff, the traineeship was a great culmination of my AIESEC experience.

Beto and I were married a year later with a big contingency of AIESECers at the wedding.  We have lived in four states as well as in Puerto Rico, Brazil and Argentina through Beto's work with GE.  I have been teaching English as a Second Language for 12 years which fits well with our lifestyle of travel and international interests.   Our sons, Lucas (age 6) and Sebastian (age 8) are becoming biliterate and bilingual in a Spanish immersion school where we live now in San Jose, CA.  They will no doubt be future AIESECers!

Profile of Candice Popiel

We are happy to offer a profile of Candice Bataille Popiel, an alumnus from AIESEC Venezuela now living in the United States. Although she's married to an alumnus of AIESEC United States (No Excuses Chair, Jeff Popiel), she's an active member of AIESEC Life. We welcome alumni from any LC and any country!!


What do you do today?
I am the confounder of Glowmundo and I am an author of children's books. Glowmundo is dedicated to empowering children to think beyond their circumstances via literary and media tools. I also work as an organizational development consultant.

How did your AIESEC experience influence your career path?
If I summarize what I gained from the seven years that I was involved with AIESEC from my days in a local committee in Caracas, to national committee in Venezuela, to the years in AIESEC International, I can say that it was a series of professional and interpersonal skills and values all intertwined with a resilient, open minded and ethical attitude. All of this not only affected my professional life but my personal life. If it was not for AIESEC, I truly would not be here, not only because of my personal ties to America, but because AIESEC is how I got to know what the U.S. was really all about. (Believe me, the media and Hollywood were not convincing me to make the big life decision to move here!)

I believe that AIESEC is a space that allows young people to discover their true self and understand their own skills and life purpose all with a global awareness. It truly prepares young people to face and lead the world in whichever role they choose to play. The more I interact with alumni from all over the world, the more I see that “Golden Thread” of leadership abilities, organizational skills, globally mindedness, and ability to think and act beyond the circumstances, that makes AIESECers stand out. And I say AIESECers, because I think that the values that AIESEC instills becomes a lifestyle. All you have to say to a stranger is that you were in AIESEC and if they were too, you immediately trust, and the connection is made.

For me it has been no different, no matter the job I’ve had, I always managed to lead my responsibilities to great results, and to be open to learn. Today I am dedicated to bringing these set of intrapersonal skills and core values to the youngest ones, the children. After my childhood in Venezuela, my time in AIESEC living and working around the world, currently raising two children of my own, and understanding the needs of our world, I decided to direct my work to offer that what I call that “Golden Thread” to children. If children are taught to think beyond their circumstances at a younger age, and are raised with a sense of globality from the get go, they will show up in life with a stronger sense of self and of empathic living, and bigger are the chances of humanity taking conscious larger steps or leaps towards peace and fulfillment of mankind’s potential.

Career Advice for AIESECers and alumni
I always say, “once and aiesecer, always an aiesecer”, but for the purposes of the question, if you are currently active in the network my best advice is to take as many responsibilities as possible and learn as much as you can by exposing yourself to the international environment offered by the network that is AIESEC. By taking responsibilities without falling on politics but doing things for the right reasons, at the right time, the right way, you already have gain a ton. Also establish relationships, by taking on responsibilities within a team, you develop special bonds that can affect your life at a personal and professional level forever. As well, if you do not make it to work on another MC or AIESEC International, take a traineeship, there is nothing like the experience of living and working abroad to enrich your life.

For alumni, reconnect, reconnect, reconnect. First, reconnect with those AIESEC values that sometimes because of the “busyness” of life some of us forget and understand that it is all in our minds. We can create the AIESEC atmosphere by either starting a business of our own or living the values in whichever role we play. Second, reconnect with the network and the old relationships. The internet has revolutionized the world and with it AIESEC. Yes “the world is flat” like Friedman suggests. We have but to take advantage of it. If for the average person the internet has opened the world, for an aiesecer who has been in the world and has connections, the meaning is infinite. This is the reason why I see AIESEC Life succeeding: it is so important in reclaiming those AIESEC values and in contributing to empower us to make a difference in our surroundings.