The Power of the AIESEC Network

Mid way through the day yesterday, I received an email from AIESEC International from the online AIESEC system. Even though I cease to be an active participant in the AIESEC organization (other than being an exchange participant), I still subscribe to their news as a way of keeping up to date on what is happening world wide. It was shocking to read the most recent update:

Read the full letter here.

Even though I’ve never met the Bolivian AIESEC President, this news still came to a shock. News of this spread quickly through the AIESEC community online and off. My Facebook and Twitter feeds were filled with condolences and shock at the news. The AIESEC community here in Budapest was all abuzz over this as well. It seems like everyone knew about what happened and everyone all felt the same way.

I was speaking to my roommate who was at last year’s International Congress and she was saying that if this happened last year, it could have been any one of the people that she met. And that is what it boils down to. It could have been any one of us. We’re a network of 60,000 students from around the world, united in one way: providing exchange and leadership opportunities to young people.

The AIESEC community has rallied behind this news. Its actually rather awe inspiring. People that don’t know one another and yet, we all feel as one.