Her name is Aurélia Delille, she studies Veterinary and she comes from Paris. Apart from being a model student, she has recently been appointed as Student Ambassador by Royal Canin and she is very excited to be part of such an important project. Overwhelmed by the responsibility? Quite the contrary, she is very much looking forward to getting down to work!
Why did you choose to study a Veterinary Degree and more specifically University CEU Cardenal Herrera to carry out your studies?
To be honest I have always liked animals, especially dogs, cats and horses…my house looks more like a farm! The idea of looking after animals has always attracted me, just as much as I like the more industry-related part of the profession. This is an area that we just touch on here at the university but that plays a very important role in the veterinary world. Royal Canin will give me the opportunity to get more thorough knowledge of the industry area.
You are currently in the third year of your degree. Now that you are halfway through, what are your thoughts about the degree? Are you satisfied with your choice?
I like almost all of the subjects the university proposes, except maybe for the ones related to Production; those I don’t like very much but I still have to study them and I try to do my best anyway! What I really like about University CEU Cardenal Herrera is that students can be in contact with the animals from the very beginning of their degree; I know that in other faculties students have to wait a long time before they can actually “touch” the animals, something that is fundamental for a future vet. The closer that you can be to them, the better!
Where do you see yourself working? What area of the veterinary world attracts you the most?
As I have mentioned, I really like small animals (cats, dogs, horses), but the industrial activity is also a very interesting part of my profession. When a vet works in the industry he is not in a clinic but he is part of a business in which he can grow professionally and climb to more executive postitions, which of course means taking more responsibilities.
You have just been appointed as Royal Canin Student Ambassador, why don’t you tell us more about this project?
Royal Canin is a very big French multinational company dedicated to pet health nutrition. Communication will be very important for me as Ambassador because I will have to organize and carry out different activities and events related to nutrition in my faculty: lectures on the importance of health nutrition, how the different types of products are produced and other related topics. I will have to organize these lectures but of course I will need to get acquainted with the brand first; to do so I will visit very shortly the company’s headquarters to start getting familiarised with the processes, which will be very interesting. Moreover, Royal Canin will offer me free nutrition-related training, materials, scientific publications and much more. I will even have the chance to attend an international congress with all the expenses covered…and free products for my pets!
I will hold the position of Student Ambassador for two years (until I get my diploma) and I will also be involved in the election of the next Royal Canin Student Ambassador. During these two years, I will be in charge of developing the brand’s awareness on campus and of organizing a wide range of activities for them. I will be the link between professors, students and Royal Canin.
How was the selection process like?
I don’t know the exact number of students that applied for the role but I do know that there were three of us in the final stage of the selection process. The company was looking for students in the third year of the degree, fluent in Spanish and English, with a good academic record and good interpersonal and communication skills. The Dean of the Faculty Santiago Vega told us about this project and some of the students decided to apply.
For the final interview there were three students: one Spanish and two French. Beatriz Garrido, who is in charge of Scientific Communications at Royal Canin, asked us some questions and at the end of the interview, she asked us to talk in English for a while.
Do you think that being a Student Ambassador for Royal Canin will have a positive impact? What do you think you are going to learn from this experience?
Firstly, I think it is essential for a student to work on his/her curriculum. For me it is very important to be part of this project with Royal Canin: there will be 50 Student Ambassadors in the world and only 7 come from Spain. I am sure that I will meet very interesting people from around the globe, which will help me improve my English skills and maybe they will even offer me the possibility of doing an internship once I get my diploma.
The training I will get in health nutrition is also very appealing because here at the university we only study nutrition for big animals but not really for smaller animals, which are the ones that I am mostly interested in.
Will you get in touch with the other Student Ambassadors?
Very shortly I will be travelling to the South of France, to a town near Montpellier, to visit Royal Canin facilities. Student Ambassadors will stay there for a couple of days attending lectures, presentations, visiting the factory and exchanging experiences from our universities. We will be there from June 29 to July 1 and it will be a great experience because they have many animals to carry out research.
And in September 2015, what new and exciting projects await you in the new academic year?
I still have to get specific instructions on my duties but basically I will be working in the field of Communication: organizing lectures, maybe posting information on blogs, Social Media and suchlike. Then, once I finish my degree and if everything goes well, maybe I will do an internship with them.
Do you think this project is going to be beneficial for our Faculty of Veterinary Medicine?
Definitely! Not many faculties have a Student Ambassador, so I really think that the image of our university is going to be positively affected. It is an international working team and not all universities will have a student of their own integrated in the team. Overall I think that it will have a good impact for University CEU Cardenal Herrera, also because Royal Canin is a very important corporation in the veterinary world.
Would you recommend the experience so far? Would you encourage your fellowmates to apply in the future?
I am the first Royal Canin Student Ambassador from this university and I will have to help the company choose the next ones. I haven’t started to work yet but I would definitely recommend it to others; it is a unique experience, you can meet new people, travel, get some extra training, free scientific publications and even some goodies…what is not to recommend?!?
