Trang from London became a member earlier this year and joined several projects immediately. Read what she has learned so far from being involved in JCI! 

Can you tell us about your background?
I am an experienced digital marketer. After two years working for Singapore Tourism Board in Vietnam, I decided to study abroad and see the world, then I went to the University of St Andrews for a Masters Degree in Marketing. I graduated last year and came to London in September to look for new ventures.

When did you join?
I joined JCI London in January this year. As I was new to London I was looking for professional networks to meet like-minded people. I came across JCI London's website and I was impressed by all the projects and activities for young professionals and entrepreneurs.

Can you tell us what you have been involved in in JCI London?
As soon as I joined JCI London I joined the business and training teams to see more aspects of JCI London. I've attended several events so far such as Happiness at work, the Magic@Work Series and Meet the Members to name a few.
In terms of current projects, I'm helping to organise Social Media events with IBM in June and Google in September. Also, I'm part of the committee for the Public Speaking Club initiative, in charge of communication with the Club's members. And I'm involved in the JCI London TOYP awards with Sofie Sandell.

What have you learned from being involved?
There are a lot of different things I have learned so far from organising and participating in the events. Above all "Just do it". It doesn't matter what it is, how difficult it may look, the most important thing is start doing it. As long as you know what you want, start doing it in order to achieve your goal. A journey of a thousand miles just starts with this single-yet-important step. And of course, your attitude is also important, as long as you believe you can achieve it, you are already half way there.

What else would you like to do in JCI? Any roles? Projects?
In the long term, I would like to be involved in more projects with the International team. I'm always interested in meeting more members from other countries to learn more about their cultures and experiences. Also, I would like to enhance the marketing and partnership aspects of JCI London. We have a lot of high quality events so far. It's important to raise awareness and interests from the community and large corporations.

How is JCI different from other networks/organisations in London?
If you are a member you already see the differences between JCI and other networks in London. JCI is an all-in-one organisation where you can develop your skills or give back to society via different projects.
For me, as a foreigner living in London, I love JCI London - I find it inspiring whenever I meet up with other members. Most of them are professionals and entrepreneurs from all different backgrounds and they always welcome new members and are willing to share and help each other to be more successful. And the most important difference: the bond between our members is much stronger than in other organisations.

If you could invite any speaker to a JCI event who would that be?
There are many people I would like to invite to a JCI event as a speaker. If you ask me to choose one I would like to invite Richard Branson for now. Lately, I have read one of his books - Screw it! Let's do it! And i totally love it. I would like invite him to come and share more inspiring stories with our members.

Who is the person who influenced you the most, and how?
There are many people who have influenced me in different ways. For me, I can always learn something from each person I encounter. By talking to them, listening and sharing experiences with them, I can see the world in different perspectives. Within JCI London, I would say the first person I talked to Ricky Kothari - JCI London's Business Director. Through his leadership and support in all the projects and business team meetings, he showed me that everything is possible. With the team support, each of us has the ability to lead and be successful in all the projects we embark on.

How would you describe him?
If I can describe Ricky, he would be an entrepreneur at heart, an enthusiastic leader and an excellent team player.

What is your hidden talent?
People say that Sagittarius is the most positive of the star signs. They never take no for an answer, and they always see the cup as half full, not half empty. Also, they'd always rather aim high and take on the adventure of life than get to the end of the road regretting that they didn't have a good go at making their dreams come true.
Don't you think so? Why not catch up for a chat at the upcoming events, see if I really am a Sagittarius? I love to meet and talk to more people to share experiences and listen to their interesting stories. Also, if you need information about working in Asia, specifically in Vietnam and Singapore, I may be able to help. Connect with me at Linkedin uk.linkedin.com/in/trannguyenhuyentrang for more details.

Can JCI help you with anything? Contacts? Ideas?
At the moment, I am looking for new venture in digital marketing. I've contacted recruitment agencies and companies so far. Given the fact that JCI is a large network of professionals and entrepreneurs, I would highly appreciate it if you could direct me to people who might be able to help me in my career. Thank you very much for your help in advance!

Thank you Trang, lovely to speak to you! 

Sofie