Bachelor of Arts with Honours (European Languages)

In 1993, I got a French Govt Teaching Assistantship and upon returning from Grenoble took up an opportunity to teach in WA. In 1998, I joined Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, a French pharmaceutical company. The company merged with Hoechst Marion Roussel in 2000 to form ‘Aventis’. In 2003, I began an MBA at Curtin, which has an agreement with the Reims Management School. This allowed me to study in France during my annual leave. The experience was invaluable. In Dec 2003, I took up a position with Aventis in Brussels.

Belgium is a culturally fascinating country where almost everyone is trilingual (French, Dutch, English). The challenge of doing my job in French, driving on the right hand side of the road and making a life for myself is only half the fun. My advice to anyone contemplating a foreign language is that it definitely can take you places even though it may not seem so obvious at the time. Broaden your horizons and never give up on your goals, even if they seem a million miles away.