Victoria Sollecito
I’ve been with Informa in the New York office for nearly four years, first on the Healthcare Journals editorial team and for the past two years as an HR Coordinator. In that time I also co-founded our office’s Green Team, sat on the US Staff Board and got involved with the various New York City charity and volunteering opportunities available to employees. When we take off for Thailand in May I will have just finished a Master’s Degree at Sarah Lawrence College where my research focused on gender and sexuality in popular culture and the arts. In my spare time I am the Director of Education for a small, non-profit arts organization dedicated to growing and sustaining arts communities.
I believe the best way to positively affect the life of a community is to nurture and support that community’s young people. I am really excited that our work on the trip will allow both the volunteers as individuals and the company as a whole to make a lasting connection with communities in Thailand. Through the continued work of IBI employees, we will be able to see these areas develop and change year on year and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of that process!
End Goal
As a volunteer I’m most looking forward to experiencing firsthand the positive impact that IBI’s corporate responsibility initiatives will really have on the world. I think that the trip will allow me to develop both my leadership skills and my ability to function as an effective and productive member of a team. I also hope that this trip will positively impact my ability to work under pressure, to be flexible and to be a creative problem solver in potentially difficult situations.
On a personal note I’m really excited to experience Thai culture and to take the opportunity to learn about and experience things that a tourist to Thailand might not. A major personal goal for me is to meet as many people, see as many sights and (most importantly) eat as much Thai food as possible while I’m overseas!
What can I do to achieve this goal?
I think that in order to achieve these goals it will be important for me to be open; open to the opportunities that our travel and volunteering will provide, open to the opinions and perspectives of my fellow travelers and open to all the experiences Thailand has to offer.