Learning to lead
Lexie, Student Board President, shares her experiences as a FIUTS student leader.
Guest post by Pragya Madan
Yoke Ching Lee (Lexie), from Malaysia, first became involved with FIUTS through the Welcome Week homestay program, through which she stayed with a local host during her first week in the U.S. She is now the President of the Student Board at FIUTS.
Lexie (center) and other FIUTS student leaders, holding up posters for this year's CulturalFest
Lexie fondly recalls her first day in Seattle. Her host family picked her up at the airport and she was shocked to see people driving on the right side of the road, versus on the left as it was back home in Malaysia. “People tend to stay on right here in the US, even while getting in and out of elevators. I had to adjust a lot to that,” Lexie says with a smile.
Lexie’s stay at the UW is her first long term stint out of Malaysia. She affectionately calls Seattle her second home now. “The uniqueness of the USA is that – It’s a melting pot of different cultures. There are people from all over the world here at the University. There are lesser chances that I’ll meet people from all these countries back in Malaysia, but here in the US, I get to meet all these amazing people. And the best way to do it is by joining FIUTS activities. FIUTS is one organization that connects all these people from different countries together.”
You can see a twinkle in her eye when you ask her more about FIUTS. She shares, “FIUTS helped me enjoy life here at UW. FIUTS tries to help people have fun; we go hiking, and have barbecues, go boating and lots of other outdoor activities.”
This week's student board meeting in the FIUTS office
There is more that Lexie thanks FIUTS for. “FIUTS has given me the opportunity to hone my skills to be a better leader. My journey to be the President of FIUTS Student Board has been a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I feel so comfortable in the US because of FIUTS. I don’t have any more culture shock. FIUTS has given me a lot, so I want to give something back to FIUTS. I applied for a board member position and was selected to chair ‘Global Gala’. It is a big event where we invite international students before they go back to their home country. Because of this great event, I got a chance to work with people from different countries to make the event a success.”
Lexie and friends at CulturalFest
Lexie is graduating in summer 2013 with a major in Business Administration. She is excited to join the world of finance and dreams to have her own hedge fund investment company someday. Her strong academic experience and her association with FIUTS have prepared her to take on the world.
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