What new skills and/or knowledge have you gained from your summer experience? Have you met anyone who has been instrumental in shaping/helping you conduct your project? Briefly, how has this person impacted you? What have you learned about leadership from this individual and/or from your adopted community and how might it influence your actions, work, and self in the future? Add in photos and videos as you like!
A new skill I've gained so far is learning to be a good listener. Unlike at Columbia, as a volunteer at a French NGO this summer, I am surrounded by people with far more experience and authority than me. I feel like I am genuinely practicing "leading from behind," as I am often assigned more supportive roles rather than being the one speaking or presenting.
This was something I felt especially clearly when I visited UNESCO's Paris Headquarters this week, representing my NGO Paris2050Workshop alongside the presidents of two other NGOs. Both people I visited with — Hong and Emmanuel — were experts in their fields. During our meeting with UNESCO, I took on a more supporting role, listening and learning from them. I spoke up only when I felt I had something meaningful to contribute, and luckily, the UNESCO representatives were very receptive.
Someone who has been instrumental in helping me conduct my project is my boss, Xiao Qian, the founder of my NGO. She has not only been incredibly supportive in onboarding me to the organization, but has also made a real effort to connect me with other French environmentalists, educators, and volunteers within the Paris NGO network. This has been deeply meaningful for my growth, as I was able to talk to and learn from people who have lived very different lives than mine.
On a personal level, the biggest thing I learned from Xiao Qian was to do what you love. She spent 20 years working in corporate China before moving to Paris over a decade ago, where she now runs her own non-profit full time. In a world that places so much weight on professional achievement, her life story is a quiet reminder to stay true to oneself; and it's a lesson I'll carry with me long after this summer.