The Cross Cultural Internship Program (www.theccip.com) hosted a successful two-day kick-off orientation to kick-off the 2012 CCIP – a cultural exchange program for future global professionals. During the orientation, over 70 Session A participants from Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Indonesia and more met together with the representatives from the organizer, FUSIA Communications at the Flushing YMCA to celebrate this momentous occasion.

During their orientation, the organizer welcomed the students and thanked the students for their support and hard work. Elizabeth Kay, the principal of the program stressed important topics such as last-minute host briefing notes, housing and program rules, and safety tips that had already been covered at the Pre-Arrival Orientation.

She closed the orientation's remarks with these thoughts – Get involved. If you haven't signed up for the activities, please consider signing up now. Invite your friends and colleagues to join our upcoming Welcoming BBQ. Stay proactive, stay healthy and leave a positive impression.

This year's program has 142 participants from eight top-tier universities in Asia, including the University of Hong Kong (41), the National University of Singapore (31), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (27), Lingnan University, Macau University of Science and Technology (9), City University of Hong Kong (8), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (6), Nanyang Technology University (5).

The participants will be residing at the Flushing YMCA and interning at 35 different host organizations within and around the New York City area.

"I still lack experience but I will compensate my inexperience with dedication, hard work and open-mindedness. I can't wait to get to know more people from the program and learn as much as I can through the seven-week duration, "said Xihao Zehao, a National University of Singapore student originally from Mainland China.