Olá AIESEC Ryerson and to all the AIESECers around the world.

I'm Linda, from Toronto, and I just completed my internship in a Management position in São Paulo, Brazil. I worked as an Art Director for an advertising agency named Pitanga Propaganda for six months. During my time there, I had the privilege to work on some of Brazil's top brands in the pharmaceutical, textile and food industries. Aside from the the amazing work experience, I also learned a new culture as well as a new language. Now I can speak basic Brazilian-Portuguese!

I am thrilled to have had that incredible work and travel experience, and to have made friends not only in Brazil but also through AIESEC, I met interns from Germany, Lithuania, Taiwan, India, Mexico, Columbia, and United States. Now its a matter of planning my next visit back to Brazil, my friends invited me back for the World Cup which will take place there in 2014!

Linda. 

I joined AIESEC in September of 2007, and for the 3 years I have been involved in AIESEC, my CEED experience had to be the best 4 months ever spent. It is hard to describe in words the feelings you get when you are away in a place you have never been before, and the culture, the language, and the way of living is totally different from what you are used to. Excitement, culture shock, adventurous, and etc. It really is the experience of a lifetime.

As a CEEDer, I was working as a part of the local committee at AIESEC National Taiwan University. I volunteered at the English Winter Camp they held for elementary school kids in remote areas. I attended the Winter National Conference for all of AIESEC Taiwan. I helped out with different portfolios, and was involved with the VP election for the 2010-2011 term. We were able to learn from each other, and helpfully continue on our partnership into the future years.

After years of working in OGX and telling students about the amazing international experience they will have when they are on an AIESEC internship. I was finally able to experience this myself too. I made many friends there and some even felt like family, and I will always cherish the memories we had together. It was definitely a life changing experience. 

     This summer I did a Developmental Traineeship (DT) in Malaysia, working on a Global HIV/AIDS Awareness Project in collaboration with the Standard Chartered Bank. With the help of AIESEC TUC (Taylor's University College) and Interns from all over the world, I conducted workshops to local high schools, universities, and colleges.

     Through these workshops, I helped educate hundreds of youth about the HIV/AIDS reality in Malaysia. This was an amazing experience -- the friends I made, the places I travelled, and the things I learned were beyond anything I could have ever expected!