I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a wonderful team of directors at NAAAP Toronto.

The total NAAAP experience has instilled valuable qualities such as: leadership, dedication, commitment to success and the pursuit of professional growth. I am especially grateful for the confidence that the team had in me towards leading the 2009 April Dress for Success Professional Fashion Showcase. Over the past few years, I have learned so much as well as having a great time.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a NAAAP Toronto director is definitely the chance to meet and network with a wide range of business professionals in Toronto and other city Chapters/Ventures. As a former Director of Events for NAAAP Toronto, I am proud of our association's achievements. As a team, we continually push the envelope in providing our members and guests with innovative monthly events which some of them include business mixers, professional development seminars, community functions and film screenings that showcase award winning projects and film industry professionals from both Asia and North America.

Another important aspect about NAAAP Toronto is our community partnership with the Mon Sheong Foundation who we support through the success of Little Asia at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. After 4 years of a winning track record and successful fundraising, this highly anticipated annual event highlights teamwork, volunteerism, sportsmanship, youth development and most of all - a great time for the entire family.

I have truly enjoyed my experience at NAAAP Toronto and will most definitely continue to play an active part in contributing my time and support. The events and programs align well with my own sense of nurturing leadership and success for business professionals in Toronto. I enthusiastically recommend any university graduate and working professional to consider joining this innovative organization.

Projects: Editor of newsletter; co-founder of ACAF (Asian-Canadian Artists Fund); served on the team that organized the 2003 NAAAP Convention; organized film nights at the National Film Board, and live performance (e.g. Moulann) showcases that took place at monthly mixers.

Serving NAAAP for nearly two years encouraged me to network. NAAAP did not teach me to network, since I already possessed such skills as a journalist, but it promoted it by offering an environment that encouraged this in a professional business setting. In turn, I could later apply those habits and practices that I absorbed during my NAAAP tenured to my work in the film industry.

I found the other board members at NAAAP highly approachable, competent and warm. I have no complaints about them, only compliments.

Of the projects I worked on (which were all a team effort), ACAF stands out as a lasting achievement that I am proud of (and I hope NAAAP Toronto is). The $10,000 raised helped three artists in our community. This was an historic event, since no other such fund in Canada had been established or since.

However, the amount of time and energy I expended on ACAF burned me out. It is safe to say that ACAF co-founder Randy Shek felt the same, which led to our retirements from NAAAP. Randy and myself were freelance workers, and could not continue to sacrifice our work time to help other artists. Simply, we had to feed ourselves.

The live performance I organized and the film screening at NFB were precursors to ACAF that contributed to the rich palette of monthly mixers organized by NAAAP. I hope that has led to a continued relationship between NAAAP and Toronto's Asian arts organizations, since my departure.

The newsletters were a pleasure to edit and the designers I collaborated with were good. However, more contributors were needed and a regular designer was required to maintain continuity. The last newsletter I created (edited and designed) was never released by NAAAP, much to my disappointment.

I valued my tenure at NAAAP and continue to associate with its Toronto branch.

I wish all the best for NAAAP Toronto.

When I first joined NAAAP Toronto as the Director of Communications, admittedly I was initially skeptical. Could the time and effort I put into this organization impact the Asian community? Could I make a difference in the lives of people who wanted to reach others, or those who wanted to be more involved with their community? Could I inspire people to push their lives in a positive direction both personally and professionally? And of course, could this endeavor help advance my own aspired career and social network?

In short, the answer resoundingly turned out to be yes to all of the above. My experience with NAAAP Toronto is one that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Through my contributions with the quarterly newsletter, I've pushed community events, issues, and new businesses, and provided tutorials and advice for those with a thirst for learning more in their field. The newsletter was my means to reaching the Toronto Asian community in the positive and supportive manner, which I originally aimed for. In addition, I've also developed and attained clients for my work in freelance writing and design and built friendships that I'll hold with me forever. The directors, contributors, and members of NAAAP Toronto are some of the most gracious and supportive people I've ever met, and I will always be grateful for their generosity.

Having now stepped down from my duties with NAAAP Toronto, I can genuinely say I've made the difference and developed the contacts that I hoped and desired before I started with the organization.

If you're flirting with the idea of being a part of NAAAP Toronto and wondering how it can benefit you, I can tell you from experience that there's no question that you're participation will not only help you, but the entire Asian community.

I've always had the pleasure of working in many student groups and organizations throughout my academic career. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario and Seneca College, I found myself gravitating towards the idea of an association of Asian professionals. It was probably the sense of belonging and understanding that connected me with the rest of the founders of NAAAP.

It didn't take too long until I joined the NAAAP Board as the Director of Membership. I took the opportunity to learn more about our members and non-members that came together at our monthly events and signature events. I've applied my organizational and further developed my analytical skills managing the membership portfolio. NAAAP monthly events provided an opportunity for me to develop my networking skills in an environment amongst peers that I can often relate to. Being a part of NAAAP allowed me to cultivate my leadership skills in a welcoming and comfortable setting amongst my peers, I quickly adapted and moved on to be come the VP of Operations. It was in that role that I was able to motivate and reach out to my fellow peers to engage in an area of need within our organization (i.e. Mentorship, Communications, etc.) NAAAP has been blessed with a pool of talented and giving individuals who came together to devote their time in helping and reaching others.

Attending both the Toronto and Chicago NAAAP National Conventions were amongst the highlights of my NAAAP career. It was an honor to meet successful Asians in all facets of life throughout North America who came together to share their stories of triumphs and hurdles in their professional careers. It was an eye-opening experience to meet the many that have climbed the corporate ladder and their journey to breakthrough the cultural glass ceilings. Their story of perseverance and tolerance which they have embraced has motivated me to reflect in my own career development.

NAAAP has been a positive impact in both my personal and career development, I've been fortunate to be under leadership that has taught me many life-skills, including recognizing everyone's strengths and fostering those talents. NAAAP is an organization that provided a platform for professional development; it acted as a stepping stone for many young professionals engaging in the workforce. NAAAP has truly impacted our community and those who have come on board has definitely strengthened from its leadership.

As NAAAP Toronto's Director of Mentorship, I enjoyed the camaraderie among the members of NAAAP Toronto's Board of Directors and experiencing the focused teamwork in working towards common goals. However, the greatest benefit of volunteering was undoubtedly the chance to enhance my personal marketability to advance my career in the field of human resources.

Through keeping abreast of HR trends, I was aware that mentorship programs have been a hot topic within many organizations. By volunteering for the Director of Mentorship role, I sought to challenge myself to learn about mentorship by developing a Mentorship Program for NAAAP Toronto.

I spearheaded the research, program design, and execution of NAAAP Toronto's first ever Mentorship Program, which has served more than 40 mentee/mentor pairs. It was also gratifying to gain international recognition through earning two NAAAP National Awards of Excellence in Professional Development based on program's innovation and quality.

The Mentorship Program facilitated outreach to the community served by NAAAP Toronto. One mentee success story that stands out is that of a 40 year-old internationally trained single mother who had not been able to obtain a job in her field in Canada. Despite her Masters-level education and years of senior level work experience in her homeland, she had been working in a warehouse since immigrating to Canada 10 years ago. By the end of the mentoring relationship, she was offered a job in Boston in the occupation for which she had been trained.

On a personal level, I appreciated the invaluable opportunity to shape my own role, the reward of establishing a Mentorship Program that has helped many of its participants, and knowing that I have taken the initiative to develop a new skill set that I will be able to use in my future career.

Being a part of the NAAAP Toronto team was a broadening experience. It's a unique organization that combines professional development with social networking - so you can have a bit of fun while expanding your network. It's great to be able to meet different people from every area of profession and interest; with such eclectic mix, there's no telling what type of opportunities may arise.

Another great part of being involved with NAAAP is the connection you establish with local community and the enriched culture it harbours. I was exposed to all kinds of events such as cultural cinema and art exhibits - activities that I would have otherwise not been exposed to. Not to mention, NAAAP also provides information to its members on helpful career development seminars and opportunities that we all need but don't proactively seek out.

Overall, NAAAP helped me grow personally and professionally by exposing me to a diverse pool of knowledge and people that showed me there's so much more to learn!

Everyone strives for success. But what does that mean? Success can pervade many aspects of life - professional, emotional, health, etc. What does it mean to you? To me, success does not only include more money, promotion and social status. It also includes more happiness, harmonious relationships and spiritual growth. It's not to say that NAAAP will offer you all of these accoutrements, but volunteering in NAAAP was a definite stepping stone in helping me build and attain some of these aspects in my life.

I'm not the type of person who likes to waste time. Life is too short. I realized early in my University years that I'd rather live a life full with challenges and obstacles because that's how I grow as a person. I want to look back every year and be able to say things like:

"I was on the team that help plan and execute the 2003 NAAAP National Convention"

"I was on the team that helped build NAAAP Toronto from just an idea into a Venture and then into a Chapter within a year. Now this organization stronger than ever after 8 years."

Most of the people involved in NAAAP are of the same mindset. They are all here to live and learn.

Throughout my life, I've always lived by the mantra that nothing comes easy and that if you really want to succeed in life, you've got to step out of your comfort range and challenge yourself in different ways. It's easy to do what you're good at; what you studied in school and what you're employed in right now. What rounds a person off and provides them with a fuller and more enriched life are the experiences that they choose to (or not to) participate in. Inaction can be just as deadly as just jumping in and taking the plunge. I chose NAAAP and have never regretted taking the plunge. It provided me challenges that I learned and grew stronger from, I met new lifelong friends and potential business partners as well.

Some of the life lessons that I learned along the way can be described in the following bullet points. I hope that some of them strike a chord in you and help you in your daily lives.

1. Every day remind yourself that you did some things well.

Instead of dwelling on what didn't work or the tasks you didn't finish, focus on what you did accomplish. Give yourself a mental pep talk at the beginning and end of the day. Coach yourself, just like you would help someone else overcome a challenge. Celebrate the little successes that your team has accomplished.

2. Be thankful.

No matter how bad your circumstances may be, there's probably someone worse off than you. Put things into perspective. Think of all the things (and people) that you take for granted that are not available in other countries. Most of your problems will pale in comparison when you take a mental snapshot of all the benefits that you enjoy every day.

3. Build excellent relationships around you.

Make a decision today to build a fortress of people around you. Select only the best people. There are many to choose from. Look for those who will build you up and encourage you to succeed. Remember life is all about building and enjoying great relationships. NAAAP is an amazing tool that can be used to meet and create amazing relationships.

4. Push yourself to accomplish short-term goals.

There's no greater way to build confidence than getting things done. Create an environment of accomplishment every week. Focus on your three most important targets. Every day do something that moves you closer to finishing a project, closing a sale or expanding a relationship. By doing so, you'll eliminate the feelings of guilt and failure. Take one small step at a time. Success manifests in small daily events, not only in the accomplishment of great ambitions.

5. Do something for yourself every week.

Find a way to celebrate your weekly accomplishments. Don't you deserve it? If you said "No," go back to step one and start again!

Tired of wasting your life away year after year? Want something that you can say that you helped create and something that you can be proud to look back on? NAAAP is definitely a way to get your feet wet in exploring your potentials. Live your life with no regrets like I did and never look back and think "I wish I could have…"

Whether you think you can, or can't… you're right. - Henry Ford