New YPC Vice Chair Article

Happy New Year! Welcome to the YPC Communities Site. We hope to deliver quality content pertaining to the AIChE Young Professionals Committee, to young professionals working, and whatever else we think would be useful. 

Our first article is an interview with incoming YPC Vice Chair Sarah Ewing, who will explain her vision for YPC over the next several years. 

What are your goals as Vice Chair/Chair/Past Chair over the next three years? What is your vision for YPC?

My goal as Vice Chair is to increase awareness of YPC among both students and professionals within AIChE.  The more young professionals we have involved, the more beneficial the organization is for everyone.  My involvement within YPC has helped me create wonderful networking connections, as well as recognize my true passion for helping other Young Professionals learn how to effectively communicate their strengths and take their career in their own hands.  Prior to becoming Vice Chair, I was in charge of Student Programming and developing the workshops for students at the student conference which I really enjoyed.   I would like to continue this by providing excellent programs and activities for students as well as the young professionals. 

What  areas in YPC would you like to change? What would you like to strengthen?

I really would like to increase awareness of YPC, especially for students so that they are aware of the opportunities available to them after they graduate.  I also would like to work on providing more programming aimed for the Young Professionals themselves, in the form of workshops at the conference and possibly webinars.  Also, I would love to collaborate with the other divisions and forums within AIChE, in hopes that we can increase the awareness of YPC, as well as show YPC members the other ways they can stay involved within AIChE throughout their career.   

How would you categorize your leadership style?

I like to make sure that everyone knows there purpose as a leader within YPC, and make sure that they are well aware of what is expected of them.  After that, I like to give people the freedom to use their own creativity and working styles to carry out the details.  I am also a big believer in giving positive feedback to all the YPC volunteers.  I took a workshop in the past about motivating volunteers without giving them a paycheck, and the best way to compensate volunteers is to give plenty of positive feedback and appreciation, as well as making sure all volunteers feel as if they have a purpose.  Lastly, I always make sure to make myself available if there are any issues and encourage volunteers to contact me if they are having any issues.

Wow, that sounds great! How do I get involved?

To join the YPC distribution list, click here to subscribe Subscribe.  If you would like increase your involvement within YPC, just send us an email @ ypc@aiche.org  asking for help on choosing a position. From there we can work together to find a position within YPC that is a good fit for your interests and skill sets.