by Andrew Kaszowski, CMP, IABC London (Ontario) Chapter President

IABC defines my very being… it is my life

I’ve been an IABC member for 14 years, uninterruptedly through some major life and career transitions. Why? Why have I kept my membership intact non-stop since my final year of university at Guelph-Humber when I first learned about the professional organization?

To say that I have benefited from IABC membership, networking and community would be selling it short. Sure, I have benefited – my very first post-university job was entirely landed thanks to my IABC connection [a student in Toronto, I dreamed of landing back in my hometown of London in healthcare, so I attended IABC London’s AGM… where I was the lone student in attendance. All of the board members were interested in meeting this fresh face, and I got asked then and there whether I’d like to volunteer to redesign the chapter’s fledgling website. Within a month or so, I had connected with Michele Martin who sat on the board… and we bonded. She was hiring, and my career began.]

But it’s way more than that. Yes, I have my best friends and life experiences through my IABC involvement. Most of my career networking, professional development has taken place thanks to the connections of the organization… [getting to visit San Diego to receive an award for chapter leadership and the opportunity to speak to an international audience about IABC London’s professional development event planning was a career highlight to date!].

But it’s more than even that. IABC has pushed me to constantly live up to my potential, and stretched me to grow and develop as a professional and a person. I have entered my work for evaluation and received recognition that has propelled me farther [being awarded a “Best of the Best” award for my travel blog when I worked on a cruise ship was the sweetest way to return to London after touring the world!] – and I studied and wrote the Communication Management Professional exam and was awarded the fancy letters I now get to attach to my name!

But it’s more than that…

Belonging to IABC defines my very being. Really, IABC is in my DNA now. It’s my life. *I AM AN IABC MEMBER*

I never think twice about whether I am a professional communicator… it is who I am, and because I am a professional communicator, I am a member – upholding everything that the industry aspires to be.

If IABC had no members, it wouldn’t exist. Full stop. Plain and simple. For that very reason, I will always be an IABC member… because I believe that communication is a force for good in business and society. I believe that with my whole heart and mind. That’s everything I do – whether it’s interviewing a doctor and sharing their story for work, or whether it’s writing in my LinkedIn profile, or talking to my friends about what I am interested in, or whether it’s my involvement in my choir and theatre worlds… I am a communicator.

Because I am a communicator, I am an IABC member. And because I am an IABC member, I am a better communicator.

This is who I am. I enjoy communicating > I am an IABC member.

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What are you waiting for, dear communications professional? Join or renew your membership in August and save 10% on international dues using the code “MEMBERSHIP” during checkout.

Don’t sit on the sidelines of your career and life as a communicator… make your mark and be the best communicator you can be, and support the very profession that defines who you are. Be an IABC member today!