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Greetings to all The Nation's Rookie readers! I'm Sureewan Zangkum, president of The Far Eastern University (FEU) SIFE team. On behalf of FEU SIFE, I am delighted to share our experiences at SIFE World Cup 2007, which was held at the Hilton Hotel, New York during October 10-13.

For almost a week that I was in New York to represent SIFE Thailand in this global entrepreneurship competition, I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be a part of this memorable and meaningful event. However, I also felt sorry for those FEU SIFE executive members who couldn't be there with us. Supanich, Weerachat, Nareerat and Sudaporn, our team missions would never have been accomplished without the effort, dedication, and persistence you have put into our project.

When I look back at our time at SIFE World Cup 2007, one of the things that impressed me the most is how all SIFE teams from around the world were all together in one place to celebrate their successes. I still remember being at the Opening Ceremony surrounded by SIFE students waving their national flags and cheering at the top of their voices irrespective of whether they had won or lost. It was a very beautiful picture and I can say at that moment I was overwhelmed by feelings of excitement, joy, friendship and unity.

If I had to name the most popular part of the event enjoyed by the SIFE students, it would be the Cultural Fair, which was held on the first day of the SIFE World Cup. It gave us all a chance to meet up with other SIFE students, from around the world. Students and faculty advisors were dressed in their country's traditional costumes reflecting their rich and diverse cultures. Can imagine how amazing that was?

That night, hundreds of students, business observers and judges were walking around the Fair taking souvenirs and pictures with representatives from each country. It was such fun!

I made a lot of foreign friends from over 43 countries that night too.

After all these experiences, I'm now even surer about what I'm going to do with my life. SIFE really helped me discover my hidden abilities as an entrepreneur and it also inspired me to make many plans for my future. Before being a SIFE team member, I hadn't realised that I would be able to do something as big as this, but this experience has really taught me that you will never know how far you can go or how much you can achieve, if you never try.

To those students who think about joining SIFE next year, I recommend you go for it! It will give you a lot of invaluable experiences useful for your future.

Although SIFE may take a lot of your free time while completing your projects, it will be worth the hard work and the rewards will be priceless. As a SIFE member, you will be given the chance to improve your leadership, communication, and teamwork skills, and at the same time you will be helping people in your own community.

This is a great opportunity you should seize!

Finally, I would like to thank SIFE Thailand and all of our sponsors; KPMG, The Nation, The Stock Exchange of Thailand, HSBC and most importantly, Unilever, for making it all possible. I can't thank you enough for your kind support and the changes you have made possible in our communities.

Being a part of SIFE is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.

 

Sureewan Zangkum is a fourth -year student in Business English at the Far Eastern University in Chiang Mai.