Capitole Buddy Program by Marlyn Sánchez H.

Introductory email

marlynsanchezhernandez1 — 2023-09-19 09:17:52 UTC

As a first approach to the buddies, I email them to introduce myself and share my phone number.

marlynsanchezhernandez1 — 2023-09-19 09:18:22 UTC

marlynsanchezhernandez1 — 2023-09-19 09:22:26 UTC

Joe was proactive and messaged me 3 days after the email. Here I found out that he did not speak much French, but he still understood my email. We talked about the Buddy's program first official meeting and the possibility of him being absent. However, he managed to attend the meeting.

Joe

marlynsanchezhernandez1 — 2023-09-19 09:24:07 UTC

Only Joe attended the meeting. We had a good time talking and eating/drinking. Unfortunately, we don't have pictures from that day, but we had a pleasant time. I learned more about Joe and how I could help him to go through his study abroad experience. He comes from Lebanon, and he is studying for a Master's in Finance. The process was very straightforward with him because he already had great support in France (his brother came to study the same master's one year before), so he was already well integrated. His most problematic issue was that classes were very demanding for him. We couldn't do as much as we expected because he was too busy.

Israe

marlynsanchezhernandez1 — 2023-12-27 10:43:01 UTC

Concerning Israel, she never answered my mail and we never had direct contact. However, she was enrolled in the same master's as I was one year ago, and I met some people from the M1. They told me she had Visa issues. She arrived in France extremely late, and she had to catch up with the courses and exams in a very short period. I imagine she was quite stressed, but sadly she didn't take advantage from the Buddy's program help. I hope she can participate next semester.

An enriching activity and unexpected, unforgettable moment

marlynsanchezhernandez1 — 2023-12-27 11:06:06 UTC

None of my buddies attended the workshop, but I didn't want to miss it anyway. The subject interested me, as I love managing projects. I believe that great leaders should learn how to deal with multicultural environments and understand every team member's perspective.

I definitely loved the workshop, and I think I better understood why some people act like they do, not only professionally but also at a personal level.

The next day, I was going to have an important internship interview with an Airbus manager. So, as I realized the facilitator had relevant experience coaching people, at the end of the session I asked for advice and recommendations.

It was amazing. We spent 30 minutes preparing myself for the interview. I was not expecting this uninterested disposition to help me; she was so kind and well-intentioned.

While I was heading home, I felt so confident about the upcoming interview and about myself and my capacity to fit into the job… In fact, I was accepted for the internship, and I can't wait to start. I feel so grateful (and lucky) for the facilitator's help, and I believe that this experience made the Buddy's program totally worth it for me. Thank you for that!