by Debbie Chan

In April the Seattle-based National Center Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation asked Washington Academy of Languages (WAL) to refer qualified and energetic business-minded students who could volunteer at the APEC Business Advisory Council event and APEC China CEO Forum, held in downtown Seattle, on July 7-11, 2014. Ying Ying Hu and other CityU students were able to meet Dr. Robert S. Wang, an APEC Senior Official, who has worked as a diplomat for the U.S. Department of State for many years, here and abroad.

Our students learned a lot from this unique experience and here is what they shared:

“I am grateful for the given opportunity to have this volunteer experience at APEC. This volunteer work allowed me to see global international events from an organizer’s point of view. The event program was carefully planned. Each minute of activities was defined, and moreover, a contingency plan was prepared for possible risks.” Svetlana Akimova, MBA

“My best job was translating and interpreting for the participants from China, because I love interacting with people and talking with others. It helped me to make friends as well as learn more experiences from different professional people.” Lai Yin, MBA

“The slide preparation process was my favorite part because I learned how all speakers prepare their slides before the meeting begins. In addition, I learned how to manage agendas for an international conference. Finally, I enjoyed helping the representative from Thailand find some documents and the slide presentation that he needed.” Paul Panurat, MBA.

Thank you WAL and CityU MBA students!