From the person that I was to the person that I really am …
One and a half years ago, I decided, somewhat unexpectedly, to join AIESEC. I had indeed, at that time, needed something new in my life as a student. I must admit that it took me some time to truly understand what this organization was all about. AIESEC advocates the development of leadership among young people and this notion seemed to me somewhat vague. However, I was really conquered by the concept of sort of evolving within a small company, having responsibilities, functions.
Little by little, the days came one after the other and these people who made me pass my interview are now my friends ..
I gradually began to evolve, develop and change. Usually shy and not talkative, AIESEC taught me to go beyond my fears by surpassing myself. What seemed to me a few years ago impossible, seems to me today irresistible. It is quite difficult at first to understand how AIESEC makes us grow, how AIESEC makes us evolve. Many think the values advocated by this organization to be utopian, abstract or otherwise. I am, however, proof of the impact of AIESEC on these members. From this 18-year-old individual, fearful and relatively undecided, I became a leader.
I became that person who could make a change in facts, achieve goals in both the long and the short term. Without any hesitation I am able to affirm today that I am able to make decisions for a set of individuals. I am able to lead and conduct operations.
AIESEC has allowed me to develop this potential for action through different stages. From a simple member to a team leader, I learned to work as a team, I learned to express myself and to make my voice heard. The fun fact is that I am not even a fluent english speaker, but thanks to AIESEC I also have to develop this skill.
I learned to work as a team, I learned to express myself and to make my voice heard.
Today, just 20 years old, I am Chanel Lohandjola, and I head my committee: AIESEC in Saint-Louis. In the course of October 2018, I was indeed elected chair of this committee. My role is to oversee the success and overall evolution of my committee, through my vice presidents and members.
To reach such a function is for me a true consecration. I can say loud and clear that I had never loved so much responsibility. I have a duty to fulfil, a mission has completed. And although it can sometimes be difficult to mix this function with my studies of law and communication, for nothing in the world I will not give up this post.
I always had an idea of the woman I aspired to become and AIESEC allowed me and still allows me today to achieve this goal.
AIESEC in my eyes is much more than a student organization, it’s a part of me, a philosophy, a mindset and a set of values that I tend to put forward on a daily basis.
I always had an idea of the woman I aspired to become and AIESEC allowed me and still allows me today to achieve this goal.
— Chanel Lohandjola.
Local Committee President of AIESEC in Saint-Louis (2019)
You want to live a similar experience to Chanel? AIESEC is recruiting new members! Check out more here: aiesec.org/membership
