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AIESEC in the United States turns 70

Welcome back.

In 1956, AIESEC came to the United States at Columbia University. Tonight we celebrate every person who has carried it forward since, and the young leaders who will carry it next.

Date
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Time
7:00 PM CT
Venue
InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile
See tonight's program Donate to The 70 Campaign
The number 70 in eight layers of color, one for each generation since 1956 70
One layer of color for every generation since 1956

Tonight's program

All times are Central. The item happening right now is highlighted during the gala.

  1. Welcome reception and networking

  2. Opening ceremony

  3. Keynote address

  4. Gala dinner

  5. Celebrating leadership and gala awards

  6. Giving back: a legacy in action

    Give to The 70 Campaign

  7. Closing reflections

  8. An evening of celebration

Be someone's first yes.

Maybe AIESEC gave you your first leadership role, your first team, or your first time living abroad. Someone believed in you before you believed in yourself.

The 70 Campaign will raise $70,000 to make 70 exchange experiences possible for the next generation of young leaders. Every $1,000 opens the door for one more.

Donate to The 70 Campaign

Ask your employer to match your gift and double your impact. AIESEC US Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax exempt nonprofit.

70 dots, 70 young people saying yes

Stay in the story

AIESEC Life is where alumni stay connected after tonight. Here is how to jump in.

Join our platform and stay informed

Sign up for AIESEC Life to hear about alumni events, Hub meetups, and new ways to help.

Sign up at AIESECLife.org

  • Join the AIESEC Life team

    We have open volunteer positions in:

    • Data analytics
    • Video and content creation
    • Google Ads management
    • Regional Hub coordinators

  • Find your people nearby

    Join your local Hub group, or organize an alumni meetup in your area.

  • Share your expertise

    Be a guest speaker in our Knowledge Exchange series.

Through the decades

Photos and milestones from seventy years of AIESEC in the United States.

1948. After World War II, seven young people across seven countries start AIESEC with one dream: build understanding between nations, one person and one internship at a time.

The 1948 congress in Stockholm A divided postwar world, 1948

  1. 1950s

    1956. AIESEC in the United States is founded at Columbia University, bringing a global youth leadership movement to American campuses.

    1958. AIESEC in the United States becomes the first National Committee outside of Europe. Yale follows Columbia as the second local committee, and the movement spreads to Harvard, Stanford, and Berkeley.

    AIESEC in the United States founding at Columbia University, 1956

  2. 1960s

    Local committee planning, 1963 National conference in Ann Arbor, 1964 National committee president election, 1964 International congress in Rome, 1964

  3. 1970s

    1977. AIESEC reaches 50 countries on six continents, with more than 40,000 young people having taken part. The United States plays a vital role in that growth.

    1976. The United States stands behind AIESEC in Malaysia and the Soviet Union.

    1978. It supports AIESEC in Argentina and Colombia. In 1979 it sets a bold goal: one thousand traineeships by 1990.

    AIESEC in 1977 AIESEC expanding and connecting across borders

  4. 1980s

    Celebrating 30 years of AIESEC in the United States, 1986 The AIESEC US International Congress team, 1988 International Congress team prep in Oyster Bay, New York, 1988 National committee president election at the national conference, 1988 The US delegation at the International Congress in Boston, 1988 International Congress in Montreal, 1989 The US team in space suits, 1989 The US booth at the International Congress, 1989

  5. 1990s

    Students became team leaders, and team leaders became presidents.

  6. 2000s

    People who arrived looking for an opportunity left with something much greater.

  7. 2010s

    2010. AIESEC delivers more than 10,000 exchange experiences in a single year for the first time, a milestone the United States helped drive.

    2015. Youth leaders from 126 countries and territories gather at United Nations Headquarters to champion the Sustainable Development Goals.

    2017. AIESEC in the United States reaches more than one thousand approvals in a single year.

    AIESEC in 2010 Youth leaders at UN Headquarters, 2015 AIESEC in 2016 AIESEC US alumni reunion, October 2016 AIESEC in 2017 AIESEC in 2018 AIESEC Life alumni gathering in Charlotte, summer 2018 AIESEC in 2019

  8. 2020s

    2026. Seventy years after Columbia, alumni, members, and partners gather in Chicago to celebrate and to look ahead.

    AIESEC in 2020 AIESEC in 2021 AIESEC in 2022 AIESEC in 2023 AIESEC in 2024 The 70th anniversary, 2026

Stories from abroad

AIESECers on the exchanges that changed them.

Exchange participants and local friends taking a group selfie
Liz with her AIESEC team in Argentina
Liz, Argentina
Exchange participants celebrating in Mexico with sombreros and a Mexican flag
Chandler with a kindergarten class in Taiwan
Chandler, Taiwan
An exchange participant with students in a classroom
Bryce with students in Romania
Bryce, Romania
Volunteers and a child in front of a mural they painted together
Maggie with a friend in Greece
Maggie, Greece
A volunteer hugging a student at Projeto Gira Mundo
Varinda with students on stage in Morocco
Varinda, Morocco
An exchange participant with local musicians in the mountains An exchange participant in front of a colorful painted mural