Selected for IBM Corporate Service Corps!
It was really happening.
A few weeks ago, I received one of the best emails in my life.
“Congratulations, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program!
The CSC provides the opportunity for you to transform yourself and hone your global leadership skills, while making a strategic contribution to a community on behalf of IBM. You will join the ranks of over 3,300 IBMers.…”
I was speechless when I found out. The CSC application process is highly competitive — with only 15% of applicants getting in — and I had friends who applied multiple times before they were able to go on the trip. This was my first time applying, and I really wasn’t expecting much.
It was truly a dream come true. Back when I first graduated college over five years ago, and started working immediately thereafter, I remember hearing about many of my friends going abroad for volunteer trips, and had wistfully wished I could have gone with them. Here is my chance now. Not only is this trip fulfilling my dream to do service work for a month abroad, but I can now leverage the consulting and technical skills I picked up over my career, and the cherry on top was that my company was organizing everything and paying me to do all of this. It still feels too good to be true.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Gearing Up
Since receiving that email, I have been placed on a team going to Bangkok, Thailand to help an organization grow in technical capabilities, including in User Experience and Data Science, so that they’re able to service their constituents better. I’ve been on weekly calls with the team, and am humbled to work with the great talent coming together for this project.
The trip is becoming more and more real every day. As I write this, I take momentary pauses to rub my arms that are sore from the five recommended vaccines I got yesterday. I have submitted all the documents for my business visa application, and am now eagerly waiting to hear back from the embassy.
As our team preps for the big day when we land in Thailand and host a formal kickoff with our clients, I’ll share more about the pre-work we’re currently involved in, and hope to share memorable stories from out time there. Stay tuned!
