20.5.2026
At ESSEC Business School, student life goes far beyond the classroom. With more than 100 student associations across its campuses, ESSEC sees student involvement as a real learning experience. Project management, leadership, entrepreneurship, communication, team management, responsibility: students build these skills every day by working with others and taking action. For many students, these experiences are just as valuable as their classes. Testimonials.
For Hanna Bordelet, a second year student in the MIM program, joining MELT, the association that supports international students on the Cergy campus, felt obvious.
“Having lived abroad myself, getting involved with MELT felt natural. I loved the atmosphere and the mission, which is so important for many international students.”
Leading a team of 50 students from different countries, she quickly discovered the responsibilities that come with being president of an association.
“Being president taught me how to manage and unite a team. It also taught me how to represent and defend a project.”
Communication, public speaking, coordination between many stakeholders: the skills she developed go far beyond academics.
Most importantly, Hanna says this experience became a full part of her ESSEC journey.
“I consider my presidency at MELT to be just as much a part of my ESSEC education as my classes. It is a very concrete and professional experience, similar to running a small company.”
Through this commitment, she also worked with many departments across the business school, including the Career Service, the Center for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, student residences and ESSEC Alumni.
“I never imagined I could be so involved in the life of the School and work with so many people at ESSEC.”
Student associations also allow students to bring entrepreneurial ambitions to life. That is what motivated Marine Roger, a third year Global BBA student, to become president of Genius ESSEC, an association focused on student entrepreneurship.
“The entrepreneurship course I took during my first year in the BBA program was a real turning point,” she explains. “Even without an immediate personal project, I was always very attracted to this world.” Her commitment is also personal. “As a woman in a field that is still very male dominated, it is important to me to show that female students belong in this ecosystem.”
Since becoming president, Marine has led the launch of Genius Talks ESSEC, an entrepreneurship podcast featuring entrepreneur alumni.
“This is the project that motivates me the most today. Taking part in recording the first episode was an immersive and exceptional opportunity.”
Like many involved students, she highlights the connection between academics and association life.
“Student associations allow us to apply in a very concrete way what we learn in class, especially in project management, communication and entrepreneurship.”
Paul Noel, a third year BBA student and president of ESSEC’s fintech association across the Cergy and Singapore campuses, shares the same view. Interested in “finance, innovation and new technologies,” he sees the association as a unique space for experimentation. “I especially enjoyed turning ideas into concrete projects by working with partners, students and external speakers.”
For him, student involvement also brings “a very human dimension to the ESSEC experience through encounters, collective projects and campus life.”
Beyond technical skills, student associations are often a true school of leadership. Imane Montagnier, a third year Master in Management student, experienced this during her gap year at Junior ESSEC Conseil.
“This year was very demanding, both personally and professionally, but it was also incredibly rewarding,” she says. By becoming president, she wanted to “take on a central leadership role” while passing on the “excellence and rigor” that define the Junior Enterprise.
Her main lesson? “Being president of an association is not just another line on a resume. It is a real school of life.” Team coordination, diplomacy and understanding everyone’s interests are skills learned every day.“Managing a team is not something natural. You really learn how to do it.”
For Jules Pelé, a second year Grande École student and president of the School’s theater association, the role was also a personal challenge. “I wanted to see concretely what it means to manage a team of 60 members and build several projects from scratch.” He remembers three major lessons from the experience: team management, learning to delegate and understanding the importance of personal balance. “I realized that rest is an essential part of work. This experience helped me step back from work overload and better understand the importance of mental health.”
Creating an association can also become a gateway to new opportunities. That was the case for Mathis Pouchol, a third year BBA student and founder of Eureka, an association designed to connect students with European institutions.
“I wanted to bring to life an interest that did not yet exist on campus,” he explains. Very quickly, his role became much larger than he expected. “I thought the president mainly gave direction to the association. In reality, I had to handle communication, legal documents, events, external partners and even opening a bank account.”
As projects developed, the experience created direct links with his academic and professional path. “I was able to connect my responsible lobbying course in Europe with my association. This role also helped me secure internship opportunities in public institutions.” Through all these experiences, one idea clearly emerges: at ESSEC, student involvement is not something outside academic life. It is an essential part of it. It is a place where students experiment, take responsibility, learn to work together and already start building their future.
