CLS is thrilled to share that we empower our team with our intern, Vendela Eriksson. With a relevant study background in Development studies, as well as valuable professional experience in Project Management and entrepreneurship - CLS could not be happier with having Vendela onboard with us.
We give our warmest bem-vindos to Vendela and share her letter with all of you, our community.
Olá as todos!
Dear member of the Swedish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce,
My name is Vendela Eriksson, and I am happy to share that I will be a part of the team as a trainee together with Secretary General Charlotta Mohlén and Sepehr Khanmohammadi this upcoming spring.
I am 25 years old and grew up in a very small town called Söderköping, located outside of Norrköping, which maybe some of you recognize. Despite growing up in a small village, it did not stop me from exploring new places, maybe it even flourished my interest for other cultures and countries. As a 17-year-old I took a gap year from highschool and did one year as an exchange student in Brazil. Here I got to explore a completely different culture, language and even a second place to call home. I believe that my interest in innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and cross-cultural collaborations comes from my experience abroad and something that I always strive to learn more about.
After high school I was tired of studying and therefore started working. The most memorable experience I got was at Junior Achievement Sweden where I coached junior entrepreneurs in their journey while starting companies and got to develop my public-speaking skills as well as project management for events such as fairs, seminars, webinars, and much more. Another valuable experience was where I worked as a business developer at Cleantech Scandinavia, who works with connecting Nordic Startups with investors. Here I got to be a apart of organizing pitching events internationally in Oslo, Barcelona, and Smygehuk. Working at these companies have taught me to be agile, creative, and open-minded.
At the moment I am in my last year of my Bachelor within Development studies at Lund University, with a Economic History major. In my second year I had the opportunity to go on exchange where I spent one semester in Budapest and got the opportunity to, once again, explore a new city. Therefore, I am more than thrilled to do my internship at the Swedish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce where I will be working closely with Charlotta Mohlén and Sepehr Khanmohammadi in order to deliver the best events and networking opportunities as we can.
You will probably find me exploring the city, going for a run, or practising my portuguese with the locals. Lisbon has, for a long time, been just a dream to me and to finally be here feels surreal. Therefore, I am eager to get to know the city and the people.
I am looking forward to be a part of CLS and the work that we do, and of course, to meet all of you members at our events.
Até mais!
Vendela Eriksson
