17.6.2026
On June 20, 2026, Hauteclaire Lulin will take the stage at Commencement Day to represent her graduating class. It is a symbolic moment for this Master in Management graduate, whose journey reflects one of ESSEC Business School's founding promises: giving students the opportunity to build their own path through the encounters, commitments, and experiences that shape student life.
"When I was preparing for business school entrance exams, I imagined myself at a major school in Paris. Yet what attracted me most to ESSEC was precisely what makes it unique: its location in Cergy. Living on campus, I discovered a city very different from the environments I had known before, with people from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences. This exposure to different realities greatly enriched my student experience."
Originally from Senlis, north of Paris, Hauteclaire attended school in Paris before joining the Ipesup preparatory program. When she entered ESSEC in 2020, she discovered an environment that would leave a lasting impression.
"At ESSEC, there is a strong culture of engagement and real social diversity. I genuinely believe my experience would have been very different at another school."
Hauteclaire arrived at ESSEC during a unique period. After months of the Covid crisis, entrance exams had only recently ended and student life was slowly returning.
"It was a strange moment in time. Classes alternated between in person and online formats. Student organizations were reorganizing. Everyone was moving forward without a clear roadmap."
Despite these circumstances, the ESSEC experience delivered on its promise.
During her first year, Hauteclaire took part in the Field Experience at an Auchan supermarket in Issy les Moulineaux. This one month internship is mandatory for all first year students in the Master in Management and Global BBA programs. Its purpose is to expose students to professional environments far removed from their future management roles.
For one month, she worked both on the sales floor and at the checkout, gaining firsthand insight into the daily operations of a large company.
"This experience had a major impact on me. First, because it was my first real professional experience. Working in the store allowed me to understand how an organization operates and what operational reality looks like on the ground. It teaches humility and helps you understand the essential jobs that keep organizations running every day."
Student involvement quickly became a central part of her journey.
Through PHARES, an association linked to the Equal Opportunity program "A Great School: Why Not Me?", she spent a year supporting children with disabilities. The experience broadened her perspective and shaped her vision of leadership.
"I realized that we cannot aspire to become managers without understanding the realities faced by people whose experiences often remain invisible."
She later joined ESSEC Initiatives, the school's consulting association dedicated to startups, and became its president during her second year.
"This experience taught me the power of collective intelligence. Relaunching projects such as TEDxESSEC, expanding consulting missions for startups, bringing together a team of around twenty students around entrepreneurship, and promoting entrepreneurial careers are skills I still use today."
Finance, entrepreneurship, geopolitics, programming, and leadership. Hauteclaire fully embraced the academic freedom offered by ESSEC.
"One of ESSEC's greatest strengths is its ability to expose students to very different worlds. I was able to combine courses in finance, programming, philosophy, and geopolitics. Before joining ESSEC, I would never have imagined studying these subjects together."
Among the courses that left the strongest impression on her were finance, Python programming, and geopolitics.
Her curiosity led her to join the Geopolitics, Defense and Leadership track. This program took her beyond the classroom.
Hauteclaire participated in two military immersion programs. One took place at the Saint Cyr Coëtquidan Military Academy. The other was with the French Foreign Legion's 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment in Laudun l'Ardoise. During these week long experiences, she gained insight into how these institutions operate and how leadership is exercised. "These experiences were particularly meaningful. They allowed me to observe forms of leadership based on leading by example, a sense of mission, team cohesion, and collective responsibility. These values extend far beyond the military world and are equally relevant in business."
International exposure was another highlight of her journey.
In 2023, she joined the ESSEC Asia Pacific campus in Singapore as part of her Finance Track.
"There, I discovered an exceptional international environment. The campus is human sized and encourages interaction and close connections. I particularly appreciated the quality of classroom discussions and the exposure to very international perspectives. It was the first time I lived in a fully English speaking environment. I also discovered a part of the world that had previously felt very distant to me. Singapore is an incredible gateway to Asia and suddenly makes many horizons accessible."
Through her internships, Hauteclaire confirmed her interest in investment.
A first six month experience in 2022 allowed her to deepen her understanding of the sector before discovering strategy consulting focused on investment related issues.
She built this path gradually, with support from ESSEC Career Services.
"I found all my internships through this support. It gave me the opportunity to explore different environments before finding what truly suited me."
Today, as a strategy consultant, Hauteclaire finds many of the values that shaped her ESSEC experience in her profession and her company: openness, continuous learning, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to thrive in complex environments.
Curiosity, openness, and adaptability are values she carries with her today. They will also be at the heart of the speech she will deliver at Commencement Day in front of her graduating class.
Her class entered ESSEC during a global pandemic and graduates at a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping many professions.
"Everyone arrives with their own story. ESSEC gives us the opportunities, the encounters, and the freedom we need to build what comes next."
