Meet Laurianne, a 27-year-old Swiss native hailing from the picturesque town of Fribourg, where the melodic blend of French and German resonates in everyday life.
Laurianne's journey through the Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management program at EHL has been nothing short of extraordinary. With a profound passion for the luxury industry, specifically the realm of watch commercial, Laurianne's story is a testament to the transformative power of education and the pursuit of one's dreams.
In this Q&A, Laurianne shares her bachelor life, insights, and the profound impact of EHL on her academic and personal growth.
Tell us more about yourself and why you decided to study at EHL?
My name is Laurianne, and I'm already 27 years old! I come from the charming Swiss town of Fribourg, where both French and German are spoken.
I am deeply passionate about the luxury industry, particularly in the field of watch commercial, where I hope to build my career. Over the past few years, I've established a wellbeing routine to support me in my busy daily life. As a result, I engage in fitness and Pilates approximately five times a week. I have also consistently worked alongside my studies, whether in a school department for one semester, at a company where I used to work for a year, or as a Guest Coordinator for luxury events since the beginning of my studies.
I am a person who needs to be active and enjoys taking on multiple roles. At school, I serve as the class representative of my intake, as well as a Gold Student Ambassador which allows me to guide (visit, answer questions, etc.) and evaluate (conduct interviews) potential future students.
Do you remember what first sparked your interest in EHL's International Hospitality Management?
I wanted to pursue studies in Management, and to be honest, EHL wasn't my initial destination despite its reputation.
Hailing from a traditional Swiss family that had never ventured beyond their hometown and with a country offering high-quality public schools, I was expected to follow the "conventional" path of attending a public university for management. However, a friend who was studying at EHL came to my rescue! He said, "Laurianne, this school is perfect for you!" So, I managed to persuade my mother to visit EHL during an Open Day, which turned out to be a magical and worth-it experience.
This school offers a curriculum that combines management and hospitality, which represents the human aspect of any business. Whether it's in the fields of finance, marketing, sales, or any other area, I believe that the key to a successful career lies in human interaction. To my knowledge, EHL is the only school that provides this, whether through its program that includes practical internships or through its values.
Tell us more about your favorite classes
What you need to know is that there are finance classes at the school, and these aren't subjects I was naturally comfortable with. However, thanks to EHL's teaching methods, I had so much fun taking my statistics and financial analysis classes, and they happened to be my best grades!
What EHL understands and provides us with are tools for everyday life, which we will also use in our professional careers. So, no more endless formula sheets; we use Excel. Isn't that great?
However, if I must tell you about my absolute favorite course, it just concluded, and it was titled "Luxury Retail Management." Indeed, in the last semester, we can choose our elective courses, which allows students to focus on the topics they're most passionate about. The professor was his own CEO from his startup and was inspiring! What a luxury it is for us to be inspired by such leaders from their industry.
How has EHL's real-life learning impacted your growth and the value of your current Student Business Project?
EHL's emphasis on real-world learning has had a significant impact on my academic and personal development throughout my time at the school. The hands-on learning opportunities have enabled me to apply the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom to real-world situations through 2 different internships.
The first one must be done in the hospitality industry while the second one is to be done with a managerial perspective. Therefore, I took the first opportunity working in Lisbon to discover a new culture, and the second one working at Rolex in Geneva to dive into the world of watchmaking and luxury. Thanks to this last experience, I have been able to confirm my career wishes while developing my skills and network.
Currently, we are a team of 6 students about to start working on our Bachelor final assignment, which is an exciting Student Business Project (SBP) for the company S by Salanitro based in Geneva. We will work as consultant for the company and help them develop a chosen strategy. This experience will be valuable in applying the concepts and skills we learned at EHL - specifically in market research, marketing, and other management courses - to real-life scenarios.
At the end, EHL's hands-on approach help its students better understand the complexities of the business world, develop problem-solving skills and gain confidence in their ability to take on professional challenges.
What key skills and knowledge have you gained at EHL?
I think EHL gives us many intellectual skills, but I'd say the most valuable are the behavioral lessons and values imparted.
If I could share 4 of them, it would probably be:
Team spirit: The program consists mainly of group work over 4 consecutive years. It's all about knowing how to work with others, dividing up tasks, lining up to achieve a homogeneous result, and learning to work with different personalities. This was the biggest challenge for me, because I've always liked working alone, because I thought it was quicker. But let's not forget the African proverb: "Alone we go faster, together we go further".
By the way, I highly recommend the book "Surrounded by Idiots" by Thomas Erikson, which really helped me understand the basics of the different personalities present in our society, and how to work with them according to our own. This type of exercise naturally leads to better communication, one of the keys to successful teamwork.
Creativity: The school recruits excellent teachers, most of whom come directly from the field. This is an incredible opportunity for any student because it's all about sharing concrete experiences that enable us to project them into professional life. One of the richnesses of their teaching is that they always motivate us to think "out of the box". It's not just about following instructions to get good grades, but really making the extra effort to think differently from the majority, to differentiate ourselves. I think this is a gift for our professional future.
Attention to detail: From our very first day at EHL, Monsieur Laurent - our school's values ambassador - sets the tone: "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression... Don't miss it!"
This strong image that we want to instill follows us throughout our career, and it's reflected right down to the way we dress. Indeed, there's a strict dress code to follow, so that you're always elegant and presentable. In my experience, etiquette and savoir-être are important elements in any career you wish to embark upon and can make all the difference. A typical example is the number of banks wishing to recruit EHL students. They know that most of them will have to train them to specialize in finance, but they value their profiles above all for the way they deal with others.
How have you found the support from EHL's career center and related resources in terms of planning for your post-graduation career path?
The EHL career center is present throughout our schooling, but even more so the semester before our internship, when they follow us closely. We have compulsory meetings with them, in addition to those we can request, to make sure we're well taken care of and have all the cards in our hands. If necessary, they even help us with our application documents, as well as any interviews we may need to have.
However, they don't take up too much space and know how to leave us the autonomy we need to act on our own. This is important, as most of us won't be accompanied for the rest of our stay.
Then there are the Career Fairs organized every semester on the EHL campus, bringing together over 170 companies from all over the world, who come to recruit EHL students. What's more, we also have major hospitality and luxury companies who organize a full day on campus dedicated to discovering their programs and professions. This was the case this semester for Accor, LVMH and Cartier, for example. A school full of opportunities!
Can you highlight an experience or project at EHL that stands out as particularly impactful in terms of solidifying your post-graduation goals?
For me, it was undoubtedly my BOSC 4 internship (end of second year of Bachelor's degree). I had so much fun working for a company like this, where what I'd learned at EHL was fully recognized. I found myself surrounded by inspiring people, who knew how to use my strengths to good effect, while solidifying my knowledge. It was the first time I had worked in a professional environment where my values were perfectly in line with those of the company. What's more, I discovered a passion for the commercial side of the watchmaking industry. It was the kindness of my colleagues, who were delighted with the solid foundations I had laid at EHL, that reassured me about my post-graduate goals.
Could you speak to the sense of community and camaraderie you've experienced at EHL
One of the company's core values is Family. It may sound like a cliché, but I've never felt the importance of the group as I do at EHL. It really is a big family that we create for ourselves from our very first days on campus, and which we have the opportunity to perpetuate throughout the years.
In fact, there are numerous activities for students to get together. For example, there are over 30 student-run committees, ranging from sports and music to social and entrepreneurial events. On top of this, the infrastructure is well suited to student life. This is a campus created by students for students! Every corner of the school has places to work, chat or have a drink with fellow students.
What's more, the alumni network that exists after graduation is just insane. Some 25,000 EHLers spread across the continent. To illustrate, on a recent trip to Sweden, while eating in a restaurant, I was approached after seeing my student card on the back of my phone. It was a gentleman, probably in his fifties, who immediately wanted to share with me that he too was an EHL alumnus. Contacts are so much easier, we have an incredible network, but above all we share the same values.
How do you see your career progressing once you graduate? How has the Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management equipped you with the practical skills and knowledge needed to achieve your goals?
I think I've already answered a lot of that in this interview, but EHL has made me even more ambitious than I was before. It gave me the drive to fight for my goals. It was a real opportunity for me to study here, and I can say today that it is my greatest source of pride. I will continue to apply, with humility, all the values and teachings that have been shared with me.
EHL offers a rich and wide-ranging education in hospitality and management. Passionate about sales, I am currently determined to specialize in this field. Thanks to the school's reputation, and the achievements that have been made possible through it, I have just been selected as one of 28 candidates to pursue an Executive Master in Marketing & Sales (EMMS) at SDA Bocconi University, in collaboration with ESADE Business School. This is a 13-month program that has been carefully designed for people who already have a job. So, I'm actively looking for a new professional challenge that will enable me to apply the theory I've learned directly to the world of work. My ultimate goal is to become a Market Manager in a watch company.