For me, PKU is the BEST place to exchange and discover ideas

Editor's Note

#Meet Our "Future Leaders" # is a series featuring the personal stories of students in PKU Guanghua's "Future Leaders" International Undergraduate Program.

Today's story is about Clement Docteur, an adventurous spirit from France who has had tremendous growth through adventure. Clement values storytelling and hopes to transform the world in the future through his interests in technology and environmental solutions.

Meet Our "Future Leaders" 是北京大学光华管理学院“未来领导者”国际本科项目推出的专题系列报道，通过讲述该项目来自全球的学生丰富且多元的故事与思想，展示“未来领导者”项目学生的青春风采。

今天带你认识来自法国的Clement, 他16岁时只身来到中国求学，开启了探索世界的冒险。一次次的启程和出发，他收获了成长，也收获了友谊！

Clement Docteur

PROFILE

Clement Docteur is a 4th-year undergraduate student from France at Guanghua School of Management. He spent two years studying in France and Singapore at ESSEC Business School before embarking on his journey at the "Future Leaders" program. 

He is keen on philosophy, story-telling, and movie-making. Clement has also a natural inclination towards discovering new ideas and engaging with individuals from diverse backgrounds. He is planning on working in technology and environmental solutions to have a positive impact on the world.  

Going into the unknown 

When I was 16, I decided that I wanted to discover the world in all its diversity. Without any prior knowledge of the language, I took the bold step and spent one year in China. Being one of only four foreign students in a local high school in Nanjing, I fully immersed myself into Chinese culture by attending classes taught in Chinese and spending time with local friends. After gaining a fundamental understanding of China's culture, society, and people, I realized that one year would never suffice to comprehend such a rich and multifaceted place. Chinese food alone would be the reason for me to come back to China, but my choice was mostly driven by my desire to dive deeper into China, which plays a key role in today's world.  

Clement and his friends in Xi'an

The  "Future Leaders" program offered by Guanghua provides me with an opportunity to work alongside talented students from prestigious universities and different backgrounds worldwide. This is simply something you cannot refuse. Moreover, being part of the program enables me to gain first-hand business knowledge in Asia's top business school and experience Chinese culture in my daily life. 

A Learning Adventure

Although I spent the first year in the "Future Leaders" program online, I saw remote learning as an opportunity to learn and explore simultaneously. That year, I traveled to 16 European and South-East Asian countries. 

Although our classmates and I were physically apart, they often impressed me with their intelligence and diverse perspectives. Realizing that, I arranged my travel itinerary to meet 36 of the 43 students in my cohort, and eventually ended up traveling with three of them. Each gathering was a chance to encounter interesting and brilliant minds. 

Gatherings with Future Leaders students along the journey

This experience was a daily challenge that pushed me way out of my comfort zone, but it was an incredibly enriching experience that improved my communication skills and understanding of the world. As someone who loves to have a plan, the main lesson that I learned from this journey was to embrace uncertainty and seize every opportunity. It is only by going into the unknown – such as sleeping in the middle of the jungle or getting lost in a small Indonesian village – that one can truly grow. 

Mount Ijen in Java, Indonesia

Returning to China

Last September, eager to attend the program in person, I was the first international student from the program to arrive on campus. This experience provided me with the opportunity to live in an almost exclusively Chinese environment, with an amazing local roommate. In my opinion, Peking University is the best place I've experienced to exchange and discover new ideas. 

My roommate and I in front of Peking University's famous tower on my first day on campus

The business courses with a China-centric focus provided me with a deeper understanding of China’s business landscape from both a theoretical and scientific perspective. This has enabled me to identify novel business opportunities in Asia. Pursuing a bachelor's degree across two universities located in different countries also brings broader perspectives on learning, research, and knowledge areas. While my home university, ESSEC Business School, specializes in the business domain, studying at PKU has allowed me to engage with local students from diverse disciplines through university-wide electives, leading to valuable inter-disciplinary insights.

I enjoyed the springtime on the Great Wall with my classmates

The Art of Storytelling

When I'm not working or learning, I am usually writing a story. Storytelling comes in many forms, and I enjoy most of them. I have written several short stories and poems and published 8 short movies that have all won regional prizes in various festivals. 

Cinema has a special place in my heart because it is a process that involves people with very distinct areas of expertise working together. My interests began when I was 15 and entered my town's movie-making association uninvited to explain to a room of working professionals that I needed their help to direct a movie I had just written. Surprisingly, they listened to me. It was a fascinating experience to lead a team of dozens of professionals thrice my age, specialized in their field, and it was my first step in a long series of projects as a project leader.

Behind the camera of my 3rd short movie

PKU Guanghua "Future Leaders" Program

The Guanghua School of Management founded the "Future Leaders" International Undergraduate Double-Degree Program in partnership with 14 of the world’s best business schools, giving students the opportunity to gain an understanding of their local markets while also immersing them in one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic economies in the world: China. This program focuses on admitting top students with outstanding leadership potential from Peking University and its partner institutions. After completing their first two years of study at the institution in their home country, students live and study together with classmates of diverse backgrounds from all over the world—including students from China—for two more years as a single cohort at Peking University.

Meet Our “Future Leaders” | Unlocking Growth through Exploration

Source: PKU Guanghua School of Management