IBlieve was undoubtedly my passion project, one that I consider near and dear to my heart.  IBlieve is an online student-led, education nonprofit that helps high school students in the International Baccalaureate program around the world, with the hopes of reaching those in first-generation, low-income schools.  It was founded in the midst of the 2020 pandemic to create a global community among IB students.  I graduated from the IB Diploma Programme in June 2020, and as soon as a friend told me that they were searching for people to help kickstart IBlieve, I joined.  From July 2020 until July 2022, I was one of three Editor-in-Chiefs for the IBlieve blog.  I was also a writer, a Philosophy tutor, a mentor, a panelist for our Global Virtual Summits, and a representative of IBlieve during collaborations with the official IB Organization and Times Higher Education.

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IBlieve has had an impact on my personal growth like no other.  Not only did it give me the chance to "pay it forward" and help underserved students by delivering useful and relevant blog content, but it also gave me a heartwarming community and lifelong friends.  The strength of IBlieve lies in its digital nature.  Thanks to that, we could engage with students all over the world.  The writing team I led had 23 writers from Mexico, India, the Philippines, Australia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Georgia (the country), and more.

 

IBlieve's internationality was also its biggest challenge.  How do we create a cohesive community to include everyone despite having members from all 24 time zones?  How do we effectively communicate in a 200-person team when English is not everyone's first language?  What should and does the "IBlieve tone" sound like, and how do we keep it uniform yet natural?  (Hint: turns out its semi-formal, uber-friendly, with lots of emojis, GIFs, and exclamation points... we're naturally effusive!)  How do we avoid cultural insensitivities, and navigate the conflicts when they arise?  When and how do we schedule team meetings so they occur at the fairest times for everyone?  These are some of the questions I, and my teammates, faced as we struggled to create a sense of community.  It was only through patience, a willingness to truly understand the other's perspective, and loads of communication that we ironed most of these issues out.  For instance, we started stating meeting times in GMT format so that it would be standardized.  We also hosted extensive virtual teambuilding activities and encouraged collaboration among different teams (e.g. the Social Media, Blog, and Events teams to create the Global Virtual Summits).  These experiences have enriched me and helped me become a more conscious global citizen.  IBlieve has also given me a global network of friends and colleagues -- and whenever we are traveling to or passing by someone's city, we try to meet up with them!  The photos to the right, taken after travel restrictions lifted, include just a few of the global meet-ups I've had with team members.  And even if I am no longer part of IBlieve in an official capacity, I will continue to support and meet fellow IBlievers for as long as I am able.