Meet Melissa Hackney - Community Team Member

Meet Melissa Hackney - Community Team Member

Posted By admin |06 Jun 2011
Meet Melissa Hackney - Community Team Member

How long have you been a member? Around a year and a half. 
 
Why did you join? I had not been living in London for very long and wanted to meet new people.   As a Solicitor I was also interested to find out about the soft skills courses and networking opportunities which JCI offers.
  
Blog » Community » 248892_10150277624627577_601587576_8967586_8178192_n.jpgWhich JCI event would you recommend to other people? I have found the "Go For It" community event the most  interesting and rewarding event to date, which I would recommend to others.  It provides the opportunity to meet people of an age group and background who you may not otherwise meet, and to find out what interests and motivates them.  It is clear that just by attending the event and sharing out experience, we made a difference to their lives in some way.       
 
Has JCI presented any unusual  or unexpected opportunities? When I attended the JCI Open Evening and became a member, the first person I met was Eyad, who is currently the JCI international director.  When he told me that he was from Syria, I mentioned that I was trying to learn Arabic at the time, but was failing miserably.    Eyad became my Arabic tutor and we subsequently had a few amusing lessons, and an interesting trip to a Syrian restaurant, which included a memorable dish of meat and yoghurt.   
 
Is there anything you have done as a JCI member that  has benefitted your career?   JCI gave me the opportunity to develop my networking skills, particularly at the Thursday networking events.  I'm now completely at ease walking into a room full of strangers at business networking events.    
I think that JCI presents a lots of opportunities which will benefit my career in the long run, but it also offers much more than that.  
 
What do you enjoy most about being a JCI member? I enjoy having a new circle of friends who I can call anytimeboth on a professional level but also personally  (e.g. when I'm lost in Bloomsbury and can't get GPS to work - Carolin :) )