Four graduates. Four unique paths. One ESSEC spirit.

21.5.2025

They show boldness, drive, and the will to make a difference. For Commencement Day 2025, we highlight four inspiring journeys: Julie Nauthonier, a conductor who empowers women through music. Samir Benkirane, a tireless builder of bridges and projects. Samy Boudiaf, a young film producer already noticed in Cannes. Cédric Carrasso, a former soccer goalkeeper who now shapes women’s sports. Four graduates. Four bold stories. One shared goal: to change the world in their own way.

Read the testimonials :

Samy Boudiaf | Julie Nauthonier | Cédric Carrasso | Samir Benkirane

When Samy Boudiaf entered ESSEC in 2019, after two years of prep school, he had a bold dream: to work in film. That dream became reality through a key encounter, a deep desire and ESSEC’s flexibility. “I got lucky,” he says. “ESSEC is a great environment. You’re encouraged to take initiatives. You just have to embrace the freedom.”

At just 20, he knew what he wanted. In the CINEQUANON club, he met his co-founder. Together, they produced their first short film in 2020. That was the creative spark.

Samy reshaped his program to focus on film production. He skipped the exchange program—his entrepreneurial work fulfilled his internship credits instead.“The flexibility helped a lot. Without it, I couldn’t have done both. During key production periods, I could pause classes. That freedom was priceless.”

At 22, he became lead producer on his first feature film - a biopic of Maria Callas starring Monica Bellucci. “It was a huge challenge. We had to earn trust. The legal and credibility issues were tough. But I learned a lot.”

Each year, he attends the Cannes Film Festival to grow his network and vision. Samy brings an entrepreneurial mindset to film, relying on private investors and well-structured business models. “Our priority is to build solid, credible projects that attract the right partners.”

Without film school, he carved his path through strong choices and deep convictions. His ambition: promote French cinema while building a sustainable and agile production company. “Some projects involve 40 people. Others, just three.”

Commencement Day 2025 closes an intense chapter and opens a promising career.

At 22, Julie Nauthonier found herself leading an orchestra of 80 musicians. She hadn’t planned it – hadn’t even dreamed of it. “I was a student at the École du Louvre and played in an orchestra. One day, they asked me to conduct it so I said yes right away. I had no training, just a strong desire to share, unite, and inspire a group.”

What started as a student job quickly became a calling. In 2019, Julie joined ESSECa dual-degree program with the École du Louvre. In Singapore and later in Cergy, she discovered a space that encouraged entrepreneurship. “I came to ESSEC with a clear project: create FENIX. It was the perfect fit. The school gave me the tools to structure my idea and the freedom to take risks, as well as financing, marketing, communication, and finding clients. Thanks to ESSEC, I can do it all.”

Self-taught, she learned by doing. She shaped her own style as a conductor – demanding yet caring. She became a leader who listens and draws out the energy of the group. “I had to prove myself as I was the youngest and the only woman. I had to invent a way of leading that felt true to me.”

Julie believes in horizontal feminist leadership, based on listening and co-creation.

“I don’t lead with ego. I try to bring out the best in others. I work with what they bring.”

Today, she puts this leadership into action through FENIX Project, a musical social enterprise launched in late 2023. Its mission: empower women through Brazilian percussion, or batucada. FENIX creates all-women drum groups in shelters, prisons, and centers for women facing hardship, poverty, violence, or social reintegration. The goal: rebuild self-confidence through rhythm and collective energy. “Music becomes a tool for transformation. They take up space, make noise, become visible.”

FENIX uses a hybrid model: nonprofit workshops, business services (B2B), and open sessions for all women (B2C). “In companies, we build drum groups to manage stress or boost teamwork. It’s like batuca-therapy for the workplace.”

Today, FENIX brings together 30 volunteers, runs workshops across France, and works with corporate clients. Julie’s long-term vision: create a full art therapy agency mixing music, dance, theater, and paintings. But for now, she’s simply enjoying the ride.

“I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. I make a living doing what I love. I feel aligned.”

And what better place for a musician and a conductor of orchestra to celebrate her graduation than the Philharmonie de Paris, in 2025? “It was magical. A timeless moment. The result of a journey I never planned, but one that feels profoundly right.”

Former international goalkeeper and 2018 Turkish champion, Cédric Carrasso ended a 25-year career in football before working as a sports commentator for Eurosport. He then began retraining as a coach, but soon found out he wanted more.

“I realized I didn’t just want to train a team. I wanted to structure and transform one.”

His time with the French Football Federation’s Women’s Talent Program was a turning point. He saw the gap between women’s dedication and their lack of resources and visibility.

“They give as much, often more, than the men. But they don’t have the same support. I couldn’t ignore it.”

He started thinking like a leader. How to improve daily life for women athletes? How to boost success rates? He wanted to change the system.

A friend, an ESSEC and CentraleSupélec grad, sent him a brochure about ESSEC’s Executive programm in General Management. His friend believed Cédric had what it takes. At first unsure, Cédric applied, interviewed and was accepted to the 2023 cohort.

“Just getting in was a big win. I left school at 17 to go pro.”

Throughout the year, he led a strong strategic project: professionalizing women’s football in France. His team won the award for best project. “I didn’t think I’d find such a strong team spirit outside the locker room. This program changed me.”

He gained competencies in strategy, leadership, and systems thinking. He also overcame the imposter syndrome he felt early on in the program.

Now a graduate, Cédric wants to keep working in his field, joining impactful sports projects in France or abroad.

Cédric Carrasso with his best friend, Yoann Lopez N'Guyen, ESSEC alumni and profesor.

No longer just a former footballer, Cédric Carrasso is now an ESSEC graduate."It’s a huge source of pride for me, and I hope I can pave the way for other unconventional profiles!"

From his high school years, Samir Benkirane stood out for his commitment to making a difference. He became president of Lueur d’Espoir Junior, the high school branch of an association supporting underprivileged Moroccan families. “Even though I earned honors in my science baccalauréat, I knew I wanted to pursue business studies. What really gave me confidence were my teachers, who kept telling me: ‘You’re meant for a top business school,’” he recalls. In 2020, he joined ESSEC through the Global BBA program’s English-speaking track on the Cergy campus.

Through this program, his academic results took him from ESSEC’s Singapore campus to London, for an exchange at King’s College London. There, he explored new learning models and refined his career goals. At the same time, he completed multiple internships and apprenticeships (Expleo, GEODIS, Carrefour Group), all of which helped sharpen his ambitions and broaden his experience.

But it is within student life that Samir left the deepest mark during his time at ESSEC. A driving force behind the revival of student activities after the pandemic, he brought fresh collective energy by mobilizing, uniting, and supporting dozens of students. He actively contributed to four associations: HeForShe (gender equality), School & Co (academic support), Défi Plaquettes (promotion of blood and platelet donation), and ESSEC Maroc, which celebrates and promotes Moroccan culture.

In parallel, he committed fully to the Student Union (BDE) as Secretary General and a member of the Respect for Others committee. Elected in November 2021 for the 2022 term, he went on to mentor future association leaders, supporting new teams both strategically and operationally. In 2023, he co-founded ESSEC’s first investment club. From student events and integration trips to educational and institutional initiatives, Samir has been involved on all fronts.

Appointed class delegate for four consecutive years, he served as a trusted liaison between students and the academic administration. The latter regularly called on him for accreditation panels, strategic discussions, and student feedback sessions. “I’ve always liked being involved wherever I could, helping however possible - especially by building bridges between student life and academics,” he says. His guiding principle? Servant leadership, a leadership style rooted in service and commitment: “Serving and helping, that’s what drives me.”

In recognition of his exceptional involvement, he was one of only two BBA students to receive the “Outstanding Contribution” Award at the Commencement Day. “I’ll be able to share this symbolic moment with my parents and sister, who are traveling from Morocco just for the occasion!”

But the journey doesn’t end there. In September, Samir will begin the Master in Strategy & Management of International Business (SMIB) at ESSEC, with the goal of using consulting as a tool for impact. His long-term ambition? To contribute to Morocco’s development by driving high-impact initiatives.