The luxurious Erasmus + of Célia in Valencia

Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Hermès or Louis Vuitton. Many of the big names in the fashion industry are French and are synonyms of luxury, chic and Rive Gauche. A sector, fashion and luxury, which is at the center of Europe’s economic activity and offers great opportunities to communication and marketing professionals.

We talked with Célia, a French student who has just landed at CEU Valencia to spend her Erasmus+ with us. Why did she chose us, how is her first CEU experience and how she will achieve her professional objective: work in the luxury industry in his country.

Erasmus student in CEU Valencia
Celia in our TV and Radio Studios

Hello Celia! Could you introduce yourself in just a few words?

I am currently doing my 3rd year in license media culture and communication in the Université Catholique de Lille. This is very general degree. We can study Political History, Contemporary History, Art History, just like we can have radio courses, journalism courses, written journalism, corporate communication, written communication… My school is language-centered, we have a lot of written and orals courses in both English and Spanish. I didn’t know what to do after my Baccalaureate but I knew that I wanted for sure to do something that was related to journalism. This is why I chose a school that offers many different subjects. Now that I am studying communication and journalism I actually tend to prefer Communication.

Was your childhood dream to become a journalist?

Yes, I went on an internship to Elle Magazine in Paris, and I wanted to be a fashion journalist but then I discovered communication, marketing and merchandising and it completely changed my mindset. Is it also easier to find a job in these fields rather than in journalism where it is way more clogged, I feel like it is way harder to become a journalist.

Can you tell us about your professional experiences?

I have done three internships in total. One for the Elle Magazine, where I discovered more about written journalism, editorialist and advertising. My other internship was for the communication of a hospital. I didn’t like it at all, it was a hospital focused on cancer, so all the advertising that I had to make was on the cancer so it was somehow strange. My latest internship was in a French startup called MadeEnFrance in the US where I was in charge of creating content for the blog, contacting French designers, handling the orders…

“My dream would be to work one day in shanghai, the other in New York and then come back to Paris.”

With all the experience that you have had so far, in what field would you like to specialize yourself?

I would like to make master in fashion and business marketing and then try to become International Press Officer in the fashion industry. This type of master can normally be studied in Barcelona, Paris, Milan or London.

My real dream would be to become an International Press Officer in Fashion Industry as I told you before. I would like to work for a French Luxury Brand and to represent it at an international scale. Work one day in shanghai, the other in New York and then come back to Paris. That is my dream. On a more personal scale, I would like to take a year off, if I have the opportunity to and go for a year of theatre classes.

I imagine myself in another continent working with international clients. And build a family maybe in 10 years times would be nice.

Credits | Université Catholique de Lille
Credits | Université Catholique de Lille

Now could you tell us what pushed you to an Erasmus +?

My university really empathises the fact that we need and we have the opportunity to go aborad. They have a lot of partnerships. I had the opportunity to make a 1 year Erasmus+ so I decided that since I am learning English and Spanish I would Split it into 2 Erasmus+ of 6 months in 2 different countries. I went last year to the United States in Charleston and at the end I felt homesick. This is why I decided to make my second Erasmus in an European country, so that I wouldn’t be that far from home. Spain is like my second country, I come here every summer.

But why this university and not another?

Because it is one of my University’s partnership. There was a girl from my school that came for her Erasmus here so I asked her how it was. She told me only positive things so that seduced me. As for the city we could either choose between Salamanca and Valencia. I thought that Salamanca was a too small city.

Did something impress you on your first day in Valencia?

I thought it would have been way smaller. The Carmen neighborhood is really
Pleasant. Valencia is way bigger than my home city, it is sunnier, and there is more party here. People often go out after work or after school whereas in France people go directly home. If I had to say what is essential to visit here I would go for the Mercado central and the Oceonogrfico. And to eat Paella of course! As for Spain in general, I would say all the big cities.

What do you think of when you hear Erasmus+ ?

I think of Europe, exchange, language exchange, meeting new people, party, all the activities, and the excursions. The international atmosphere is what I mostly think of.

What are you expecting from this Erasmus+ Semester?

The most important think for me here is to enhance my Spanish skills. As for my courses they are quite similar to the one I have in France but in Spanish. What I like about the CEU is that the teachers are aware that we are Erasmus+ and that it is sometimes hard so they really help us out. There is some kind of proximity between the student and the teacher that we do not find in France.

Tell us about your first day at CEU.

Well on the first day I thought why is the university so lost in the middle of nowhere. But at the end I saw that everything inside the campus is really modern and all the facilities are great.

 

Thank you for your time Celia and we wish you all the best for your Erasmus + and for your future !

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