CCIP (www.theccip.com) J-1 interns were invited to attend the Youth Leadership Forum organized by the China AIDs Fund on Sunday, June 3, 2018 at the Sheraton East LaGuardia Hotel.

The youth forum offered a dialogue on opportunities in different career fields. Participants held constructive discussions on how to acquire relevant job skills. As well as exploring career opportunities, young people socialized and shared their experiences.

The youth forum was hosted by a panel of accomplished Asian-American speakers, including Mr. Yen Chen, Director of Customer Success at the artificial intelligence firm CognitiveScale, Ms. Rene K. Ip, Senior Vice President of Design and Production at high-end clothier J. McLaughlin, and Mr. Edward M. Ip, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of sales innovator POS.com. Students were inspired by their motivational messages.

"I appreciated the forum immensely because it helped me connect with other students, " Serena Wong, an intern from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "The discussions were made especially interesting because of our cultural differences, but I was glad to learn that we all share the goal of giving back to the community, no matter our age or personal interests. "

Kalin Hui, another intern from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, added that she was stimulated by the messages from the speakers. "There is no short-cut in life. As students, we need to discover our passions, create a better world, and go for what we want! "

The China AIDs Fund is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 by a group of mostly Chinese-Americans in New York City. It aims to improve the life of medically, economically and socially deprived children in China and to cultivate heritage and leadership among students of Chinese descent in America. This forum was organized to realize the latter goal, providing a platform for Chinese youth to explore their potential in a multi-cultural global community.x