Develop EDHEC reinvents itself
Which preparatory class did you do? And why did you choose EDHEC?
I did a preparatory class in Literature and Social Sciences before joining EDHEC. It was fairly rare to choose the business school route in my preparatory class, so I didn’t have much feedback from former students regarding their environment and teaching. I wasn’t particularly well informed apart from a few flagship academic tracks. I therefore discovered the schools during my orals.
At EDHEC, I was particularly attracted by the energy of the admissions staff in promoting the School’s network of associations. I ended up understanding that each school really had its own culture and identity, and that as regards the network of associations, EDHEC’s had something else, something extra: provincial and Parisian, accessible and demanding, and traditional and innovative all at the same time.
As a student, Covid has marked my time at the School. The positive side of the crisis is that it’s made me proficient in an infinite list of communications software and working at distance, and made me even more organised.
As President of Develop EDHEC, can you tell us about the association?
Develop EDHEC is a social entrepreneurship and microfinance association that works to raise awareness of sustainable development and social economy issues among students and inhabitants of the Lille region.
What made you choose this association out of the 55 EDHEC Master in Management associations?
During association recruitment, I was impressed by the number of associations and projects that were possible. To make my choice, I decided to look at those that shared the same passions and values as me. Discovering Develop gave meaning to my time at EDHEC. That’s the beauty of associations: they provide the opportunity to structure your time at the School around the values you advocate. The association gives you the chance to learn by doing and to acquire professional skills not only by working, but also through contact with partners.
How did Develop EDHEC’s actions go in this highly unusual year, particularly The Rise, the annual fund-raising campaign for local entrepreneurs?
Despite the tough year we’ve had, we continued to write the Develop story.
In December 2020, Develop EDHEC took part with 40 other student associations in an unprecedented digital edition of The Rise, the microcredit challenge geared to raising micro-loans through students to be granted to micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries. Thanks to our engagement and motivation, together with support from EDHEC students, we managed to raise close to €75,000 in two days and claim second place. In January 2021, the health crisis prompted us to devise a new format for the project – the digital Coup d’Oeil format – that involved interviewing entrepreneurs and experts on selected subjects. In March, we printed our eco-responsible guide to the Lille region - Les Communs Élans – which represented the fruit of three years’ work. Lastly, April saw the culmination of a year of preparation and work on two other new projects focusing on ESR advisory and local microfinance. All these projects kept us busy during the year and reminded us of our duty to continue to create, innovate and advance, however difficult the year.
Association life at EDHEC is known for its richness. What words spring to your mind to describe it?
The three words that spring to my mind to describe association life at EDHEC are diversity, engagement and freedom.
