Back to School

By Gabriella de la Torre, MBA in Hospitality Management, Mexico & USA, 2012-2014 2nd Year

“The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning.”

-          John Dewey

It’s almost been a month since la rentrée and we haven’t stopped for a second amidst all the group projects, accounting quizzes and weekly Industry Leaders conferences. We go on learning. Coming back to ESSEC after my six-month internship has been quite a change, but I’ve succeeded in getting back into school mode. As deadlines approach for group presentations and term papers, I take a moment to reflect on my internship experience this past summer.

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In April of this year, I had the opportunity to travel to Dubai for the six-month internship required as part of ESSEC’s MBA in Hospitality Management. With the bulk of my professional experience strictly in hotel operations, I was a bit nervous arriving to Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) to work as an assistant analyst in their Strategic Consulting team. Nevertheless, I was quickly welcomed with open arms by a number of IMHI alumni who work with the company and who were tremendously helpful throughout my time in Dubai.

Looking back on my experience at JLL, I have a true sense of satisfaction with what I was able to accomplish, the friendships and contacts I developed and the many things I learned about myself from both a professional and a personal standpoint. I was truly fortunate to have had great leaders within the company who helped me to learn not only about real estate development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region but who also taught me about leadership and bringing out the best qualities in fellow team members. The great amount of autonomy and responsibility they allowed me ultimately provided a truly hands-on experience that made me feel like an active part of the greater JLL team.

Living in Dubai was also a very positive experience, as I had the opportunity to interact on a daily basis with people from all over the world who had moved to the city to take part in the tremendous amount of growth in the region. I was amazed by the number of IMHI alumni in Dubai, all of who were quick to offer help and advice for my professional future.

This internship experience has proven to be quite complementary to the studies I am currently undertaking. Through working in strategic consulting, I gained a great deal of exposure to different markets and real estate developments in the MENA region. Doing market research, writing reports and preparing presentations has expanded my knowledge and skills, resulting in a perspective that works hand-in-hand with what I have learned and will continue to learn at ESSEC.

Thanks to the IMHI network, I have been able to live an exceptionally rewarding and unique six-month work experience that has impacted my future career plans and helped me better understand what it takes to be a true industry leader.