【Interview】Double Degree Program Student:Sandrine Letrilliart (IBMBA x ESSCA)

  “In addition to the high ranking academic record, I was also fascinated with NSYSU’s great campus life, where I could immerse myself with nature and make more friends from all over the world. About the program, apart from diversified business courses, I could learn Mandarin and join the association” our ESSCA double degree student Sandrine said. 

Sandrine is a French-Brazilian parentage, and she has lived and studied in both countries. Her favorite sport is tennis, and she has been playing it since she was a child. Sandrine believes that it is essential to broaden her knowledge in other fields other than her major, so she starts to explore and present more about the circular economy. 

In France, Sandrine pursued her studies at ESSCA – École Supérieure des Sciences Commerciales d’Angers and took her Master’s Degree in International Supply Chain and Purchasing. After two years of studying commercial and doing an internship in a company dealing with a majority of Asian suppliers and customers in Paris, she realized how important it was to graduate from a prestigious Asian University. An Asian University could bring her the knowledge and the intercultural skills that she would need to develop her international career. By that time, her university was in a partnership with National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and she was offered to join the IBMBA Program.  

At NSYSU, being a dedicated student in the class, Sandrine let her hair down by participating in the NSYSU Dragon Boat Team and taking some archery class. She was also involved in the outdoor events, which were held by the university every year, such as the Food Festival, Intercultural Festival, or Music Festival. Sandrine’s impression of the events and activities is well-organized, diverted, and joyful.  

Talking about the difficulties during her time studying in Taiwan, Sandrine mentioned the differences between cultures. Taiwan’s culture is much different from where she came from, and it took her quite a long time to adapt to the new environment. Thankfully, with the support from the administration team and her Taiwanese buddy, she finally could acclimate to the new environment and learn how to work appropriately in Taiwan. 

Before joining the IBMBA program, Sandrine had two internship experiences. Her first internship was working as a Web-marketing assistant in The French Alliance of Curitiba in Brazil. Her second internship related to Commercial B2B, she was a wholesaler ready-to-wear industry in Paris.  

After she studied at NSYSU, she is currently working as a Sales Engineer in Faurecia company, which is the leader in the automotive industry. Faurecia is well-known as a manufacturer of car seats, exhaust systems, and car interior systems. This company has implemented all over the world with a turnover of 22 billion euros per year, so Sandrine believes she is evolving in a very challenging and multicultural work environment. She stated that the study at NSYSU not only helps her develop her career in Asia but also in the International working environment. 

Sharing her advice to the current and upcoming students of NSYSU, Sandrine emphasized that along with the study, students shall also involve in extracurricular activities, such as joining the student association, side project and making more connections, friends from over the world, since NSYSU is a tremendous international environment. (Interviewer: Alex)