IMPACT - Jan to April 2014

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IMPACT : Epic Firsts

Of AIESEC JKUAT, today’s youth, tomorrow’s leaders.

Fierce

First

HOW A SIMPLE GIRL, SUZANNE

KANYUGA, BECAME AIESEC JKUAT’S

FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT

EXECUTIVE

BOARD

(14/15)

MEET THIS YEARS’

LEADERSHIP TEAM WHAT’S OUR

SECRET ?

WITH 3 MEMBERS OF OUR

ALUMNI NOW JOINING

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN

KENYA AND TANZANIA, JKUAT

MUST BE ONTO SOMETHING!

JAN-APRIL 2014

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Editor’s Note

Hey guys!

So, the theme of this first magazine is ’Epic Firsts’. Pretty predictable and fittingly

so. Apart from the fact that it is the first of it’s kind in AIESEC JKUAT, it is also a

first for me in my EB term and contains loads of ’firsts’ in the content as you will

see.

I am honoured to have been in this position of capturing the life and beauty of

AIESEC in JKUAT, we may not have as long a history as most but for sure we make

history with the little and lottle (little but a lot) of every single day…

These pages contain a little of that lottle, I hope you enjoy the read.

A big thank you to everyone that has made this Epic First issue possible, from those

who contributed to those who are part of the story of AIESEC JKUAT. A special men-

tion to my Communications team this semester, Ethel, Betty, Irene, Jonny, Florah

and Josephine, this magazine is a result of our plotting and planning from the mo-

ment this year set in!

I hope these epic firsts inspire you all to make some of your own. I also hope that

the journey began with this step is the first of many more to come.

Kathleen Siminyu,

Vice President(14/15),

Communication and Information Management.

jkuat.aiesec.or.ke

AIESEC Jomo Kenyatta University

of Agriculture & Technology

aiesec_jkuat

aiesec_jkuat

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

Exchange Stories

30-31 Long Di, from China, on her adventures

in Kenya

Meet the Execu-

tive Board (14/15)

4 President : Suzanne Kanyuga

5 Finance & Alumni Relations : Natalie

10 Outgoing Exchange : Philip

11 Incoming Exchange : Bryan

20 Talent Management : Wambui

21 Communication and Info Manage-

ment : Kathleen

26 Global Internship Programs :

Suzanne Mugo

27 Expansions : Richard

ALUMNI STORIES

8-9 Wincate Muthini

22-23 Mercy Murithi

28-29 Ronny Mutua

Cover story

14-19 Suzy’s journey to

presidency

conferences

6-7 National Conference organised by

AIESEC JKUAT

Partner

Organisations

12-13 Youth Banner

24-25 AHI (An Honest Intention)

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the President

Fav colour Blue

Fav aiesec mo-ment to date

When we bacame a full LC

What has aiesec done for you? Enabled me to chal-lenge myself and ex-plore my leadership po-tential

What do you plan to achieve within your new term

To make AIESEC the first choice for JKUAT students in terms of ex-change and leadership

MEET THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

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VP Finance &

Alumni Relations

Fav colour Can’t pick one so black, pink and yellow

Fav aiesec moment to date

My favourite AIESEC moment has to have been Election Conference 2013

What has aiesec done for you? Opened me up to new experiences and challenges I didn’t think I would ever have. It has also made me out-going, I am such an introvert.


My ultimate goal is to maintain our

full membership status because

without that, the rest of our


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National Conference ‘14

Natconf is the largest national Kenyan conference involving all 12 Local Committeess to elect the Member Committee (MC) execu-tive board (National Leadership) and plan the national AIESEC cal-endar. It took please from the 30th of January to the 2nd of Jan-uary at Eldorado resort in Naku-ru. 6 members of our own Jkuat LC were chosen to be in the Organis-ing Committee.

Steve Chege – President

Ethel Awino – Delegate Servicing

Brian Mulu – Corporate Relations

Kathleen Siminyu – Sights and Lo-gistics

Ken Kimani – Communication

June Murage – Finance

Seeing as it was also the first time JKUAT had been chosen as the hosting LC, this was a very big achievement for us. For the short number of days that we were there it was challenging, insightful and illuminating for all.

The National Conference Organising Committee from JKUAT

CONFERENCES

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There were 10 applicants for the National Team and after reviews and careful consideration only 5 made it to MC. Our very own Win-cate Muthini was chosen as MCVP PR and Communications. I must admit that the saddest part of the conference was when the rejected applicants chose to vacate the premises immediately.

The conference was composed of mainly EB members and team

leaders from each LC so the ses-sions were specifically aimed at leadership. At the end of the con-ference all LCPs (Local Committee Presidents) read out a promise as to what they would accomplish and abide to through out their term in office. We can't wait to see what the

new MC has in store for us once.

Some candidates giving their election speeches

Conference Chair : Sieka Gatabaki

Other conference moments...

CONFERENCES

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Incoming AIESEC

KENYA VP of Public

Relations and

Communication

Former AIESEC JKUAT

VP of Communication

Here’s Wincate’s Story!

Abit about me, I am the first born in a family of two. I successfully completed my

Mechatronics Engineering under-graduate degree. Additionally, my passions includes dance, poetry-which I consider to be my first language among other forms of art. In respect to my favorite food, drink or song then, that goes with mood and availability

Mantra: until your comfort zone is

the size of the universe, you’ve

got to keep on moving. There is

so much to explore, discover and

share.

ALUMNI STORIES

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MY AIESEC JOURNEY

I Joined AIESEC in June 2010. It so

happened that I was passing by

during one of my boring routine

and uncreative days that out of

sheer curiosity I attended one of

the MSS sessions, and to my sur-

prise fell in love it. I felt like a

zombie coming back to life.

Subsequently, a few months later, I applied to be a local committee vice president in the Communica-tions portfolio. This was a new challenge with an epic team. I started out doing most of the things in the portfolio myself but soon, through consultation with then LCP Ronny, I understood the basics in delegation of duties as well as team formation and things started to look up. The belief: “Communication is the backbone of every society/ organi-zation without it we cannot move as a whole body,” kept me going.

Finally, towards the end of my term, I came up with ideas to start the reconstruction of COMM and IM and entrusting it to the next

generation. Proudly, I am seeing how far JKUAT has come under my successor Kathleen. She is truly a spirited, creative and hardworking individual.

The decision to apply for MCVP COMM&IM was based on the in-spiration I had gotten from AIESEC and the also the desire to develop more personally. Initially, I was scared especially because I was soft spoken and unknown to most, in the Kenyan entity. But at the same time, I was excited to share the ideas I have as well as create a spark in difference to how I repre-sent. In the long run, I was hum-bled to have been elected.

My goals for my term are simply to have both an inner and outer loud voice as to who we are, what we do and where we are going.

ALUMNI STORIES

Until your comfort zone

is the size of the

universe, you’ve got to

keep on moving. There

is so much to explore,

discover and share.

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VP Outgoing Exchange

Fav colour Navy Blue


My first conference, Amplified Conference 2012, got me hooked to AIESEC!

What has aiesec done for you? AIESEC has given me purpose, broadened my perspective and given me a chance to meet awe-some people, undoubtedly the leaders of tomorrow.


3 things, results (numbers and quality exchanges), empower my team to take up leadership and to grow as a leader.


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VP Outgoing Exchange

VP Incoming Exchange

Fav colour Blue

Fav aiesec moment to date Being told that I am reliable by Suzzie Kanyuga

What has aiesec done for you? It has made me confident, coura-geous, a risk taker, time conscious and given me very many friends


I expect to run at least one suc-

cessful LC project…have interns

leave the country happy ensuring

that have enjoyed their projects/

work and have had a comfortable

stay.

I would also like to inspire some-

one to join the EB in October


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T he Youth Banner was

founded in the year 2010

by Ashoka fellow

Wamuyu Mahinda, who is

the Chief Executive Of-

ficer.

Wamuyu Mahinda was awarded the

Ashoka Fellowship in 2010 in

recognition of her role in catalyzing

entrepreneurship among Kenya’s

rural and urban youth. In 2007, and

while working for Technoserve in

Nairobi, she spearheaded the larg-

est and most successful business

plan competition in Kenya’s history

The Youth Banner has so far assist-

ed youth in informal settlements

such as: Mukuru, Korogocho, Kiam-

bu, Dandora, Mathare etc

They have graduate a total of 328

entrepreneurs after taking them

through the Youth Banner experi-

ence last year, with 100 more set to

graduate in July 2013.

The Youth Banner (TYB) is a not-for-

profit organization focusing on

youth development and empower-

ment through entrepreneurship.

The Youth Banner through its pro-

grams and in partnership with like-

minded organisations will:

Give youth the best possible op-

portunity to play an increas-

ingly visible, sustainable

and effective role in achiev-

ing long term benefits for

themselves through busi-

ness development

Support long term growth in en-

trepreneurship with more

opportunities and more ef-

fective targeted support for

young people

Operation

Unlike other organisations, the

Youth Banner has a unique ap-

proach in terms of:

The Youth Banner Economic

Empowerment Programme

(BEEP)

All recruited youth participants

form BEEP clubs which are

groups of 20-30 youth with

a potential to

start and run successful. BEEP

Club members go through

the “Youth Banner Experi-

ence” (six months)

which has seven components

PARTNER ORGANISATIONS

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namely: i) Peer to peer sup-

port ii) Business Training

iii) mentorship; iv) coaching; v)

linkages to markets and fi-

nances; vi) exposure to

new initiatives and prod-

ucts and vii) community

service.

The Youth Banner Mentors’

Network

This is Kenya’s first national net-

work of mentoring busi-

ness professionals de-

signed to enhance entre-

preneurial success

amongst young people.

The network enables young en-

trepreneurs to start busi-

nesses with a greater

chance of success, thus en-

hancing the country’s eco-

nomic growth.

The Youth Banner Mentors’ net-

work is the solution to the

challenge of providing a

readily available source of

business mentors. The pur-

pose of this network is to

recruit, train, support, rec-

ognize and provide a dis-

cussion forum and location

for interaction between

mentors.

They also have other programs

they run including:

AJIRA which is for young profes-

sionals with existing businesses at

a higher level

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE which pro-

vides a platform for youth with

handy skills to develop products

for which they secure markets

PASHA program where they pro-

vide consultancy for IT hubs/Pasha

centres.

AIESEC Role

AIESEC interns have worked in the

organisation as coaches in the BEEP

programme. They have assisted in

training youth from several slums

on developing business plans, as

well as acting as coaches and men-

tors as the students develop their

businesses.


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Current AIESEC JKUAT

President (14/15)

First Female President

of the entity

Suzy Kanyuga shares

her story.

MY AIESEC JOURNEY

2010

My AIESEC journey began one hot lazy afternoon in late Octo-ber. My friends and I were walk-ing around aimlessly, like the First Years we were. We ran into Anthony Munyi at a table sur-rounded by posters emblazoned ‘AIESEC’ on them. He told us about AIESEC and what we it en-tailed, and we were intrigued.

My first AIESEC meeting (MSS)

happened a few days later. And

it is one I’ll never forget.

We over 100 newies all crammed into one tiny class-room (obviously the recruitment was quite successful). Then the acronyms began! ICX,

OGX, MSS, LOL, WTF…

COVER STORY

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We were all very confused. I heard

someone refer to herself as the

Vice President of Talent Manage-

ment. My mind conjured an image

of someone tap-dancing.

Another thing: How come there

are so many Vice Presidents?

Where are all their Presidents?

You’ll get the hang of it, it’s all part of the process, we were assured. And indeed, they were right. ‘They’ were the Great Ones, i.e. Kevin “Ndebz” Muriithi, Kerubo Araka and Anthony Munyi. These were people that would remain part of my AIESEC journey for a long time. Ndebz was the second President of AIESEC JKUAT, with Anthony and Kerubo as VPs in his EB.

Then there were the ‘Youngins’. First Years who were already Vice-

Presidents and ergo members of the Executive Board. Apparently, during their first MSS in May, there were still very few members. In addition, there were gaps in the EB that needed to be filled. And so they volunteered themselves. These were people like June Samo, Edna Shihembetsa, Cynthia Kadagaya and ‘Mushka’ Kamunge. Yet it was pretty hard to guess they were First Years, they seemed like they’d been in AIESEC forever, and were very good at their jobs.

One of the Pioneers of AIESEC

JKUAT was there, and I can re-

member him saying: “As much as

we are pleased with how many

people are in this room, I’m just

being honest when I say that by

next month only half of you will

still be here, maybe even less. If

you’re here to just come, attend

the meeting, then leave, then this

is the wrong place for you. AIESEC

isn’t only about the meetings. It’s

the about work and developing

yourself. “

COVER STORY

I heard someone refer to

herself as the Vice

President of Talent

Management. My mind

conjured up an image of

someone tap-dancing.

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Fig: Members of EB 2012:(from left) Mushka, Ndebz, Kerubo, Munyi,

Edna, Cynthia and June

And he was right. By late Novem-ber we had thinned out considera-bly. Three friends out of the five I’d joined with had already dropped out. I joined the then In-coming Exchange team as a team member.

With time, I learnt that AIESEC JKUAT was started by members of AIESEC KU. Daniel Nyapidi, the first President of AIESEC JKUAT,

along with the other Pioneers of AIESEC JKUAT, used to attend MSS at KU. Soon, we began having our own MSS, but members from KU would still come to facilitate train-ing.

By the end of 2010, we had the

first ever AIESEC JKUAT dinner. It

would soon become a tradition.

COVER STORY

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Fig: The main hall at IC 2011 Opening Ceremony, KICC

Fig: Me at Global Village, fresh from eating dry Weetabix,

and my reward on my cheek

2012

In March 2012, we had our first ever election conference.

I was rather torn as to whether to

apply, but I realized the only rea-

son I was applying was because I

felt pressured.

Here were a group of newies like Ronny, Marion and Kagiri, who were all so active and were now applying. And here I was, a not-so-active member. The least I could do was apply. In the end I decided not to. I just wasn’t ready. And that’s another important lesson I learnt: Your journey is your own. Make your own path, you don’t have to fol-low the same on as others.

So the Election Conference was held in Kiukenda. It was during this time that Anthony Munyi got elected as the third President of AIESEC Kenya, with Ronny, Mari-on others as his VPs.

AIESEC Kenya made some chang-es in the arrangement of the cal-endar. Instead of running from June to July, it would start in Jan-uary and end in December. Therefore, there would have to be another election later in the

COVER STORY

Your journey is your own. Make your

own path, you don’t have to follow the

same on as others.

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year in order to vote in the 2013 EB.

At the time, Maggie and I were the only members in Incoming Ex-change, yet we managed to real-ize over 90 exchanges.

I felt ready to run for the election.

And so I did, and I won. Derrick and Rodney, who had also joined AIESEC at the same time with me, also ran and became VPs. Our president, the 4th one in AIESEC JKUAT history, became Ronny Mu-tua.

2013

Being a VP is a completely differ-ent role. It is one where you are faced with lots of adversity and challenges. It requires a lot of time and commitment. However, the personal development you go through is incomparable. You learn so much about yourself, not just as a leader, but as a person. You also learn about how to deal with other people.

The beginning of my term was quite the challenge. I had to stop working with most of our NGOs, fire the person who did our pick-ups, and drop the intern house. In short, I had to start from scratch. In time, we managed to get back on our feet. I had an able team consisting of Susan Mugo, Bryan

Fig: Team Icx : Maggie and I

COVER STORY

Being a VP is a completely

different role. It is one where

you are faced with lots of

adversity and challenges. It

requires a lot of time and

commitment. However, the

personal development you

go through is incomparable.

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bundi, Natalie Mutunga, Wambui Muigai and others.

In September, the applications for EB 2014 were released. Initially, I had been looking forward to re-tirement from AIESEC.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had several reasons to apply. First, the role scared me. And AIESEC is all about pushing your boundaries and getting out of your comfort zone. Secondly, I was going to miss AIESEC, both the organization and the people. I wasn’t quite ready to leave it yet. Third, I felt like I was ready for the role. So I applied. The Election Conference was a joint one with AIESEC USIU, the first ever of its kind. I won the role of President, the first female to do so. Also to join my EB would be some of my members from my

Incoming Exchnage team, that is, Bryan, Susan, Wambui and Natalie.

2014

This year is turning out to be my

best year in AIESEC. The ups and

downs will always be there, but I

am confident we will do well. So

far, so good!

COVER STORY

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VP Talent Management

Fav colour Any shade of purple, especially violet. Right now, I am going through a neon colour craze. :D


The Pioneers Conference is my favour-ite experience to date. I made bonds and memories to last a lifetime.

What has aiesec done for you? I don’t know how to describe what

AIESEC has done for me without it

turning into an essay. :P In short,

AIESEC has made me unveil my poten-

tial, challenged me to become a better

person, opened a new world of oppor-

tunities, given me a chance to change

people’s lives, introduced me to amaz-

ing people, taught me how to perse-

vere and given a path to love


In my term, I want to have a new, interactive MSS and simply make

the members of AIESEC JKUAT have the best experience they can

have.


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VP Communication & Information

Management

Fav colour Red


At our Annual AIESEC JKUAT Dinner 2013, when I received the John Mulatya Award for Ex-cellence.

What has aiesec done for you? AIESEC has done for me more

than can be conveyed in words

…But I got to go to Poland on

exchange for two months! And

during that time, got to visit

Germany, Paris and Czech Re-

public. A mini Euro-trip that

was!


I would like to see proper Communication and Information management structures

out up and put to effective use.ie. A blog, a website and newsletter. I would also

love to grow my portfolio members, engage them and inspire them to do more with

their AIESEC experiences.


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My AIESEC Journey started 3 years ago when I

was very fresh on Campus. I saw an AIESEC ta-

ble promoting an event by the Entrepreneur-

ship and Leadership Foundation (EplusL). I also

remember reading the AIESEC Banner that was

written the international platform for young

people to explore and develop their leadership

potential. I wasn’t sure what I was getting my-

self into when I signed up but that is one deci-

sion I will never regret.

During one first MSS I remember someone

making an announcement that Business Daily

was looking for volunteers to help in imple-

mentation of the next big thing in JKUAT.

Guess who raised up their hands? Ronny and I.

We were required to get the next big thing

team an audience in our school and train them

on how to submit their ideas. Easy right? Apart

from getting some freebies, training and get-

ting to know people I also learnt how to pitch a

tent.

One of the first AIESEC activities I took part in

was the EplusL forum that took almost 6

months. I was in a Business Idea competition

with several other AIESECers from JKUAT and

we all managed to present our ideas to a panel

of investors. This one was a bit tough but we

made it through alive. The tough ride was defi-

nitely worth it. We were trained by one the best

Public Image Consultant in the country; Derek

Bhanga. I also learned to balance school and

AIESEC. While one of the AIESECers organizing

the process went to Singapore to represent the

organization at the World Economic Forum in

Singapore, I got my first internship ever at

EplusL when I was in my first year.

When I joined AIESEC I joined the iGIP team.

Back then it was called Corporate Relations.

That is where I learned everything I know today

about business. We got to get serious and go

for meetings with “big” people and it was

amazing. Being so young and exposed to the

Incoming AIESEC

TANZANIA VP of

Information

Management

Former AIESEC JKUAT

VP of Alumni

Relations

Mercy’s Story!

ALUMNI STORIES

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corporate world. It was in 2012 that my team

leader motivated me to apply for a LCVP posi-

tion. I applied for IM but I failed in the Re-

views. It was heartbreaking but they say you

cannot fall when you are on the ground so I

did not give up. I applied again this time for

Alumni Relations and made it through the en-

tire process.

I was in the 2012/2013 EB team which was

amazing. AIESEC was family. That was the pe-

riod when I really understood the essence of

AIESEC, why we do what we do, the sleepless

nights, the sacrifices… that is when I stopped

asking too many whys. It was in 2013 that I

got to Travel to Ethiopia for AFROXLDs an

AIESEC conference with my sister after which

she quit her job for the AIESEC Global Intern-

ship Program. She should probably tell her

story herself. I made so many friends from all

over the world and got to learn so much. It

was also in 2013 that I went on Exchange to

Tanzania. My Exchange experience is on the

AIESEC Kenya blog here: http://

blog.aiesec.or.ke/foot-prints-in-the-sands-of-

dar-es-salaam-my-impact-story/

Our EB term ended in December 2013. I was

almost finishing school and I felt like it was

time I left AIESEC but no. A few weeks after I

made that decision and took steps to moving

on I got an urge to keep going. I felt like it

wasn’t my time yet so I applied for the MCVP

IM in Tanzania. I will start my new job in July

this year. That should tell the outcome of the

elections. My AIESEC Journey has been pure

bliss. I would relieve it again, No regrets.

ALUMNI STORIES

I applied for Information

Management but I failed during

the reviews. It was

heartbreaking but they say you

cannot fall when you are on the

ground so I did not give up. I

applied again this time for

Alumni Relations and made it

through the entire process.

http://blog.aiesec.or.ke/foot-prints-in-the-sands-of-dar-es-salaam-my-impact-story/



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A HI is a Swahili word that

means ‘friend’ and whose

initials stand for An Hon-

est Intention. The found-

ers of AHI wanted AHI to be a

friend and source of hope for the

underprivileged children in Kenya.

It was founded in 2011.

Education is essential for the bet-

terment of the future of society.

AHI acknowledges this need and

believes strongly that with passion,

hard work and goodwill, we can

make gains for a greater society

built on a proper solid foundation.

AHI's visionaries look to help nour-

ish young people's minds in order

to safeguard the outcome of our

futures.

With this in mind, their scope in-

cludes:

To provide opportunities to under-

privileged youth between the

ages of 11-16 years old (STD

6-std8) by enhancing their

ability to derive their own vi-

sion, generate their own ide-

as and make their own deci-

sions.

To provide exposure to the differ-

ent career and societal develop-

ments that exists within society.

Goals

Establish effective learning cen-

tres in underprivileged

schools.

Establish revenue generating

projects to supplement school

budget and promote sustaina-

bility.

Reduce the book: student ratio

from 1:7 to 1:2

Host character building exercis-

es like motivational talks,

book clubs, career fairs, men-

torship programmes etc.

Facilitate the paying of school

fees, buying uniforms etc.

Milestones

1) AHI is currently paying school

fees for about 10 extremely needy

children, ensuring that the children

are not forced to miss school due


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to finances.

2) AHI has already bought over 300

new books and is actively looking for

ways to make academic resources

readily available to the children.

3) AHI successfully runs a seasonal

voluntary teaching and mentoring

program aimed at interacting with

the children on a personal level.

4) With AHI’s help, St. Catherine’s

Primary School, Mukuru, recorded its

highest performance with an in-

crease of 7% (top student, Delphine

got 385 marks and was admitted to

Alliance Girls High School)

Projects

AHI works closely with a school

called St. Catherine’s, which is locat-

ed in South B, across Mater hospital,

which caters to children living in the

surrounding slums.

The school is faced with a myriad of

problems including: a book to stu-

dent ratio of 1:7, teenage pregnan-

cies. Lack of school uniform and a

shortage of teachers.

To counter these problems, the or-

ganisation has come up with 2 pro-

jects:

Resource/Learning Centre

It will have books (academic, in-

spirational & motivational,

biographies

&autobiographies, reference

books etc.), computers and

limited internet access,

study spaces.

Among the programmes that will

be run in the centres are

computer literacy clas-

ses,book clubs, financial

planning talks, sex educa-

tion, health &sanitation

talks, career talks,

mentorship etc.

Poultry Farming

In this project, the children will be

rearing chicken, and selling

the meat and the eggs. This

is an income-generating pro-

ject that AHI hopes will make

the school become self-

sustainable

.

AIESEC Impact/Role

The interns who have worked at

AHI have worked there as

teachers for St. Catherine’s

and interacted with the kids.


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VP Global Internship Programs

Fav colour I looove pink! Ooh, and all neons J


Amplified Conference 2012. Being my first conference, it surprised me how so many young people, all different with much zeal, could sit, dream and plan together while hav-ing so much fun.

What has aiesec done for you? Being the change I believe in. AIESEC has given me the opportuni-ty to serve, the confidence to lead and the strong will to impact this so-ciety. With a change of mind set, I now have a future.

What do you plan to achieve within your new term I hope to raise at least 5 TNs, match and real-ise at least 10 EPs and ensure all AIESEC JKUAT becomes financially stable.


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VP Expansions

Fav colour

Blue


When I finally had my first group of EPs

What has aiesec done for you? AIESEC has provided me with in-

valuable skills that one cannot

learn in school but through a

work experience that AIESEC

provides. Through AIESEC I have

met great people from all over

the world!


By the time I am done with my

term, I want there to be at least

three new AIESEC entities with

the ability to run themselves.


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28


Incoming AIESEC

KENYA VP of Global

Internship Programs

Former AIESEC

JKUAT President!

Ronny’s story!

My AIESEC journey begun in September

2011 as with many JKUAT lads; looking for

a great ‘club’ in school to pick up girls!

Such was the depth of my thought at the

time! Marion an AIESEC JKUAT alumnus and

currently a part of the National team, tried

for two weeks with no avail, to convince me

to join AIESEC. It was only when she men-

tioned that most of the members were la-

dies, that I decided to tag along.

I have to admit that the meeting was quite

strange even for my eccentric persona. A

bunch of people dancing to random music. I

thought as many of you have and will, that

this was a crazy bunch of students. I was

immediately recruited into the projects port-

folio under June Samo who was the VP then.

I did not complain as I was the only guy in

the portfolio. My expectations were more

than met!

Two or three meetings later, I volunteered

to be the organizing committee (OC) presi-

dent for ‘The Next Big Thing’. The Nation

Media Group and Transcend Media Group

were running a National entrepreneurship

competition amongst the universities; our

team tasked to run it within JKUAT. Interest-

ing enough I had no clue what an OC was

neither the first thing about organizing an

event on campus. I believe this is one of the

beauties of AIESEC, throwing guys into situ-

ALUMNI STORIES

In many occasions,

roles and

opportunities call for

the right people rather

than the best people.

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29


ations they know 0 about. We essentially

learn by doing (lesson 1). It may seem over-

whelming at first, but trust me it is rewarding

when it all comes through. This intense expe-

rience propelled me into the role of Team

Leader within the Projects Portfolio a month

or so after joining.

January 2012 arrive quickly after when I de-

cided to run for the VP position within the

same portfolio. I must say, as with the OCP

role before, I was quite under qualified and

with 3 months experience. Which leads me

to lesson number 2: In many occasions, roles

and opportunities call for the right people

rather than the best people. If you feel pas-

sionate or inspired enough to take up a par-

ticular role just do it! Thus begun my VP Pro-

jects ride.

My GCDP exchange in Ethiopia has to be one

of the most fulfilling experiences in my life.

Exchange really changes someone. Before

exchange, my life was filled and punctuated

by several automatic steps. Going to class,

taking my exams, even being in school was

just part of the daily routine or largely the

motions we go through in life. You may say I

found my purpose in life while on exchange!

January 2013 arrived with the massive re-

sponsibility of being the Local Committee

President (LCP) of AIESEC JKUAT in addition

to a CEED opportunity in Ghana for six

weeks, which explains my obsession with

rollcalls. If you did not know, now you do!

The time I spent as an LCP made me appreci-

ate lesson number 3; your team is the most

vital component of your AIESEC experience.

They can either make you or break you. Be

mindful that you bear the same responsibility

to contribute to your team members having a

great time, working with you and the team

goals are met. It should be mutually benefi-

cial. I was blessed in both the role of VP Pro-

jects and as an LCP, to have been surrounded

by an incredible bunch of people who were

friends before colleagues. I had the oppor-

tunity to embed one of my beliefs, which is

getting things done whilst having fun. I hope

I was able to achieve that last year; it was tru-

ly a massive honour and pleasure to have

served as President!

Currently I am on my third exchange, a GIP in

Norway working as a Project Manager of the

2014 Nordic Somali Youth Summit. This is

part of a larger project focusing on integra-

tion of immigrants or minority groups in Nor-

dic Europe. A pretty insightful experience

and I can’t wait to start my journey as the Na-

tional Vice President of iGIP in July!

Overall, I would like to encourage anyone

reading this to stay plugged into AIESEC, it

really is rewarding. Learn to balance your

time in between school and your different

roles, cherish the friends you make within

the network, local and international, you nev-

er know when you will need a couch to crush

on. The final and most important lesson:

trust God to guide you through your experi-

ences, assuredly each will be a success. When

you get to the top, a leader within your gen-

eration, remember to give back. To be great-

er than other men is not a license to rule, but

an obligation to serve!

I wish you a wonderful and fulfilling AIESEC

journey!

ALUMNI STORIES

I had the opportunity

to embed one of my

beliefs, which is

getting things done

whilst having fun.

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30


My project in Kenya was a

health program, helping a local

NGO in Mathare Slum. It was

my pleasure to be of help and it

surely made me feel like I did

something, even if it was just

some encouragements and

some paper work. I got to learn

how to be concerned about

other people, learnt to be

thankful for life, learnt to be

optimistic and independent.

What disturbed me the most

was Swahili. Sometimes my col-

leges forgot to speak English.

Most of the time people in the

slum only spoke Swahili. This

made it hard for me to under-

stand them.

The host was good and she was

really concerned about me.

The only problem was some

people think foreigners are rich

EXCHANGE STORIES

31 JAN-APRIL 2014

31


and wanted to take advantage of

us. I visited Nakuru,

Naivasha and Mombasa. These

places are nice!

I really enjoyed my stay here,

hope I'll come back some time in

the future and stay longer than I

did.

EXCHANGE STORIES

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Documents

IMPACT - Jan to April 2014