Two years have passed since I joined the Global Shapers Program and I can still feel its effects in my career. In a previous blog, I have mentioned how my participation in Global Shapers led me to be part of a group in our local office which acts as a link between the management and the staff. The group called LEAP which stands for Leading and Empowering Arcadians’ Potential, is comprised of young professionals whose major objective is to offer fresh ideas to the management and the staff to further improve the local company. This opportunity gave me a chance to create a ripple effect- to share in my local office Arcadis’ efforts to help everyone in the different regions be the best individually, and be the best as a unified company. And now, a new opportunity and a bigger challenge has presented where LEAP is proposed to be rolled out in the Asia Region. In collaboration with the alumni in the Asia Region, it is hoped that each office can have their own local version of LEAP. It will take a while to materialize, but I am optimistic that it will create a positive impact to the people and to the company in one way or the other.
I strongly believe that the Global Shapers Program has opened a lot of challenging and exciting opportunities for all its alumni. Personally, the program made me feel that I am part of a bigger family, and that I can help change things little by little in a positive way. The things I learned to improve on such as open mindedness, collaboration, confidence and flexibility are some of the skills I will forever thank the program for instilling in us. I encourage every eligible Arcadian to join the program. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will forever change your work perception in a positive way.
-Maria Adelle K. Elma, Philippines
Global Shapers 2015
