Petrik - My story so far
I can quite safely say that I have probably had one of the most interesting journeys for an AIESEC Tartu member in a while - and this is my story so far.
In the autumn of 2019 I became a history student at the University of Tartu — originally from the island of Saaremaa, this was of course a pretty big leap from home and getting used to adult life and finding friends took some time. I had already heard of AIESEC during their recruitment in September but at the time I decided not to apply because I wanted to focus on my studies and was afraid I would not have enough time for a student organization. In the end this was not enough for me - I realized I actually had too much time on my hands and wanted to spend it more meaningfully.
In February 2020 I was looking at different events when I randomly came across an AIESEC info event near me that was being held in 2 hours. It took some time for me to decide but in the end I got over my anxiety and went to see what was up. And before I knew it I was at my first LCM (Local Committee Meeting) of AIESEC Tartu, which is a monthly event for all the members. Afterwards we had a fun Office Olympics chillax, where we formed teams and fought to the death (okay, not really). I got third place, I think! For a rather shy and anxious person like myself I remember being pretty scared at first as there were all these people coming up to chat and to get to know me. But by the end of the evening I felt that I had joined something great.
Keep in mind that all of this happened in the beginning of March 2020, the month that our favorite coronavirus pandemic decided to shake up everyone’s plans even to this day. Of course with the restrictions, all normal activities in AIESEC were halted and we moved online. I was on the sales team, which would normally contact Estonian companies and try to sell them the idea of taking interns from other countries. I was pretty nervous, because it meant I would have had to call and attend meetings with company representatives - something that definitely would have been outside my comfort zone. Instead, the spring term was spent behind the computer screen just like the rest of the world: online conferences, online LCMs and evening chillaxes playing Minecraft or Jackbox over Discord. I didn’t get the normal member experience, but even so getting to talk to people online kept me sane during that time.
And so when in May we were being asked about our future plans, I was sure that I would continue as a member in autumn again, hoping to get the normal experience that I missed out on in spring. Instead I got an unexpected and interesting offer from my Vice President Elina, asking me whether or not I would be interested in joining the Executive Board of Tartu. Initially I was very hesitant, knowing that I have no experience in leadership positions, I hadn’t been a Team Leader and I also had very little knowledge about the organization. With a little more encouragement from another VP, I eventually agreed to go through the election process and a month later I became an Executive Board member. I decided to apply because I knew it would be a very difficult experience, but in the end would help me develop myself in many areas. Self-development is not possible without taking risks and pushing oneself to try new (scary) things!
When in August, Vice President Gert left to join the Member Committee, I became the new LCVP of Outgoing Exchange, which meant I was the one responsible for sending people abroad on internships and volunteering. The change from following my iGET Team Leader to supporting a Team Leader of a whole other function was a big one and in the beginning I made many mistakes. And even a bigger challenge was being the Organizing Committee President of AIESEC’s annual autumn conference. I had never organized even a small event and never led a team of my own - it was difficult and naturally I made even more mistakes. But you cannot become better if you don’t make mistakes and learn from them in the process - so there is no point in regretting them. In the end the conference turned out great thanks to my team!
During this time there were also a lot of shake-ups in the EB, with two members leaving due to personal reasons, the remaining three (including myself of course) had to pick up many of their responsibilities. I also became the Vice President of Finance and Legalities. With no experience in budgeting, accounting and keeping track of our finances, I had to learn all three in the span of a week or two. Corona was showing its face again and restrictions increased, which meant that we, in the EB, had to decide how we want to continue in this new situation. Things would get a lot worse before they get better and we still could not do our normal exchange activities. In the end we decided to continue in the spring of 2021 with an EB team that could still work well during corona restrictions. In that time we have done a lot of work to rebuild and reimagine the organization - I helped with the creation of a new service called Praktika Starter from scratch. It’s main purpose is to help Estonian students find internships in Estonian companies. I even learned how to use Adobe Illustrator and designed a logo for the service!
Now I have become the new human resources VP in the organization, which means I am responsible for the well-being of all our members and our autumn recruitment as well. So far it feels like the biggest responsibility I have had but it is probably also the most exciting one because now I can play a big part in helping new members have good experiences in the organization. I want to provide other young people with these learning opportunities because I felt I have learned and experienced so much in the past 1.5 years. Self-confidence, communication, leadership, time management, design and marketing skills are only some of the skills that I have had the opportunity to improve during that time. And at least an equally important part is all the fun activities, events and connections I have made along the way. In AIESEC I have met some of my closest friends and networked with many more outside the organization.
All of this is why joining an organization like AIESEC is a very good idea if you have some time left outside of your studies and/or work. You will be presented with many opportunities to grow as a person and make connections with young people in Tartu and around the world. It is a decision you will not regret. Looking back at the past one and a half years, I can safely say that taking the risk, coming out of my comfort zone and joining this organization has been one of the best decisions I have made so far in my life and I can’t wait to see what comes next!
