Maggie

Her real name is Magda. Some people call her Meg, others call her Maggie(MCVP OGX can roger that!). She is the AIESEC Eger LC VP OGX 2013.

Calling her Maggie has a stronger weight and for those who don’t know should know. The AIESEC International VP in charge of GIP is called Maggie, and definitely outgoing GIP is one of the areas she most definitely focuses on.

To AIESECers in Egerton, now you know who your LC VP OGX is. To AIESEC Kenya, now you know who the AIESEC Eger LC VP OGX is. (Some might say that the title ‘AIESEC EGER LC VP OGX’ would have been more ideal for this post, but I would respond by saying that the KISS principle is something you should check out on Google).

Bearing in mind that the AIESEC Eger LC VP OGX 2011-12 went ahead and became the AIESEC Ethiopia MC VP OGX, we acknowledge that she has big shoes to fill. However, she is up to speed. Actually that is why we profiled her.

Having been one of the panelists that interviewed her when she applied to join AIESEC Egerton, it is with utmost delight that I remember those times. (Since this post is about Maggie, I will not delve into my sentimental memories). But you have to acknowledge that she is one of the few who joined AIESEC Egerton in the past two terms who has joined the Executive Board.

And for the future, we are keenly watching this space for her performance. We are aware that she is good at what she does and we are foreseeing awesome stuff in this portfolio.

Is AIESEC relevant to the world today?

I chose this topic because I have been in a number of conferences recently and this question kept being popped up. Just incase you’re wondering what my answer is…here we go…"I believe AIESEC is DEFINITELY VERY RELEVANT to the world”. But that is just the tip of ice berg. The real question that most people fail to adequately understand or get answers to is; WHY is AIESEC relevant in the world today?

To tackle this question of WHY I will use this illustration. Malcom Gladwell, a renown author in the field of success in one of his works once said that it takes at least 10,000 hours of practice before anyone can be good at anything. He even went ahead and researched/interviewed hundreds of famous people who by any means fit the description of successful people (some even legends). This people include: - Bill Gates and the likes; people who made numerous contributions to the world and managed to achieve great impact.  Okay, enough about Malcolm Gladwell, the point is, it takes at least 10,000hours of practice in something before you can become really good at it and achieve great impact. (I did not say I am reading the book by the title: Outliers, but it would be good for you guys to read it, isn’t it?….lol)

Now, if it takes a minimum of 10,000hrs of practice then if we work out how long this is in term of years it sums up to about four years. So it is safe to conclude that it takes a minimum of around 4 years of consistent practice at something for you to be really good at it and maybe become a genius in it.

Fast forward, leadership is one of core facets of AIESEC. AIESEC offers leadership experiences through Global internships, Executive boards, OC’s, Team leaders and the list goes on. That is where relevance comes in, in a big way.  If it takes 10,000 hours of practice to be good at something, then it will take 10,000 hours of raw leadership experience for any individual to become a phenomenal leader. How do you get all this hours of raw practice while after you are through with your college studies, you get a job as a low level manager and before you know it you are married, kids come your way and all the commitments that come with adulthood come your way? 

AIESEC to the rescue

But that is where AIESEC becomes the EPIC student run organization that it is. AIESEC gives you an opportunity to lead a team, a country a continent or even the globe while still young, still fresh and still open to the world. When you’re young, the ideals you buy into and experiences you live end up dominating your perceptions and we all know the power perception has on our brains.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that without knowing, four or more years of experiences in AIESEC might be the best thing you ever did in your career. It might be the best thing you ever did in your life. So be warned /be advised.