Exams are approaching and anxiety is rising, but for the French students enrolled at SKEMA Business School, exams are the last step before flying back home, leaving NC State and the United States. It is the final step on their American adventure.
French SKEMA students expressed both sadness and joy regarding the end of the semester. Students said they don’t look forward to sitting through exams, but they are excited about seeing their family back in France for the holidays. However, this joy of reuniting with their loved ones is contrasted with the blues of separating from the people they met in Raleigh.
“I feel nostalgic and happy at the same time,” said Pauline Gane, a graduate student studying business in the SKEMA program. “This semester was full of emotions. I’m going to come with my family again, but I’m nostalgic to leave all the people I met, you weaved links and then you go.”
Many say the American food will definitely be missed as well. When coming to the United States, SKEMA students dealt with a culture shock when introduced to the food.
“I really am in a hurry to find nice food again, chocolate, Christmas atmosphere and the paved streets of Lille,” said Lucile Nambotin, a graduate student studying business in the SKEMA program.
Other SKEMA students agreed the semester flew by.
“It’s unfortunately already the end; everything just went so fast,” Gane said.
Students said that semester allowed them to experience a different environment and to put into perspective what they have learned during this time abroad.
“The further you are from home, the more you realize what you like and miss of home, but also how things can be similar or different from a country to another,” said Victor Hawkins, graduate studying business in the SKEMA program. “You need to take the best of the two worlds.”
SKEMA students said that NC State allowed them to interact with local culture and activities. Gane took part in the Alternative Service Break trip in Washington, D.C. during fall break and described the excursion as being one of her best times at NC State.
“It was very intense, because when you go to D.C. as tourists you only see the White House, pretty stuff, but we went to the food bank and met with homeless people at the community shelter; it was another city,” Gane said.
Through her experience and engagement at NC State, Gane said she felt like she changed her mind about how to live her future and build her business as an entrepreneur-to-be. Gane said that she wanted to be an entrepreneur, but now she wants to be more of a social entrepreneur.
“Being here changes the way I envisioned my future,” Gane said. “I wanted to be an entrepreneur but now I want to do social entrepreneurship. Here everything moves faster, it is easier to volunteer and I learnt a lot about how I see my business later.”
