Sitting with a Student & an Alumni

Carmen, what was your experience attending EHL?

I was always interested in hospitality, but my sister, Nicole, first had the idea of going to EHL. She told me about it, and once I had a look, it didn’t take me long to decide I wanted to go there. I was living in Singapore at the time, and Joshua Gan came to our campus and met with a group of five of us, and three of us ended up attending.

Nicole, how did you first hear about EHL?

I knew I wanted to go into hospitality, but I was still considering different options. I heard about EHL quite early, when I was around 16, attending career fairs in Singapore, where I kept running into Joshua Gan. He and I stayed in touch and helped me apply after high school before taking a gap year, which eventually turned into two years working for Swiss International Airlines.

Nicole, did your time working for Swiss evolve your idea of hospitality before you began EHL?

A lot of my perceptions of hospitality changed working as a flight attendant. I knew hospitality from one side already, but after working for two years, I knew hospitality was something I wanted to discover more of, not just from the service side but more the luxury industry. Swiss gave a personal insight into hospitality but then coming into EHL; I learned so much more.

Carmen, what is a favorite memory from your time as a student? The people you meet at EHL form your experience, and we had both the French section and the English section mixed quite well, and towards the end, there were over 200 people that went to Thailand for our grad trip. However, being part of Fête Final was a highlight. I was in the marketing team and assisted with the organization from start to finish was quite impressive to see what a student-based organization was capable of.

Nicole, do you also have a favorite memory?

In Bosc 1, just after our internship when we all came back together for the first time. Everyone had such different experiences and getting to know the people in your team and your friends all over again was a true highlight.

Do you feel your experience at EHL was changed with Carmen already being on campus when you arrived?

If anything, it was changed for the better. Carmen prepared me for what was to come and what to look out for. I was able to visit her on campus a few times before I was a student and get comfortable with the campus already. Seeing Carmen’s graduation made me appreciate my time at EHL even more than I would have otherwise.

Carmen, you are currently working towards your master’s degree. What impacted was your decision to continue with your education directly after EHL?

I graduated in February 2020 and finding a job in the hospitality industry was not as ideal as I imagined it would be. Initially, I was planning to take a short break until June 2020 and use the time between to find a job; however, as the global situation wasn’t improving, many companies had hiring freezes, and for many of them, having a master’s degree was important. I thought about the possibilities of going back to school and found a program where I would work and study part-time. I wanted to continue to be financially independent and gain experience in marketing, so it seemed the best way to go forward was to specialize with another degree.

Has your trajectory now changed because of going back to school?

Currently, I am living with two other EHL Alumni. They also just finished their master’s, so it was the combination of having EHL and another degree to create new opportunities. I would consider still working in the hospitality industry, and currently, I am working for a pop-up agency that an EHL Alumni also found. It’s fascinating as you still need all the skills, we learned at EHL. Still, more we use everyday life skills, like communicating with others and bringing the hospitality aspect into business situations.

How do you see yourself remaining a close part of the Alumni Network?

There is a big group of people who I graduated with that is now also living in Zürich. I get to see them on a weekly basis, and it’s been vital staying connected the past years. Now with events beginning again, I see myself attending more Stamm events and continuing to branch out.

Nicole, what is on the horizon for you with graduation in less than one year?

I am considering more and more going towards a working graduate program and taking a year or two to gain more experience in different roles, maybe in business development or marketing. I want to stay in Switzerland initially, but go back to Asia or generally abroad after a few years. Living in Asia growing up, I still feel very connected, and I want to return at some point.