Aman Makkar
Aman Makkar reflects on his eight-month internship at the U of G Library. Photo by Mary Dickieson

International should be Aman Makkar’s middle name. Born in northern India, he moved to Switzerland with his family when he was in elementary school and then went to University in Belgium.

“While in Brussels, I discovered AIESEC, and that’s where I really learned to fly,” he says.

AIESEC is a student-run organization with chapters around the world that promote leadership and arrange exchange programs. Makkar’s AISEC “flight” brought him to Canada and U of G; in turn, a Canadian university student will receive an overseas internship.

He is completing an internship in marketing and communications for the U of G Library, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), and Computing and Communications Services. “I do research, write copy and prepare marketing materials,” he explains, adding that he has built direct relationships with some of the library’s clients. “These are skills that I’ll carry with me into a future career.”

Makkar, who speaks Hindi, French and English fluently and has also studied German and Spanish, has opted to continue his education in Canada. Although he also applied to U of G and a school in Paris, France, he’s decided to go to the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ont., to earn a master’s degree in international business. His language skills and work experiences, he says are part of becoming a fully-rounded person.

“AIESEC allows you to bridge the gap between what you learn in class and the needs of the business world,” he adds. “We live in a very small world today, and AIESEC teaches real respect for diversity. But you also need the right credentials to stand out, and I always knew I’d want to go on for my master’s.”

Makkar’s internship is supervised by Cort Egan, senior communications officer in CIO, who says Makkar exemplifies the high quality of interns U of G has hosted through AIESEC’s programs. “Many of our students travel to work in other parts of the world,” says Egan, “but this is the other side of our international focus ― the students who come here and contribute their skills as interns.”