Earlier in the year, we got back in touch with scholarship winners Anne-Sophie Truchot (2017), Audric Baron (2018) and Nicolas Tigranoff (2019) to find out about their careers so far. Here’s what they told us:
Q. What were you studying when you were awarded the Egis scholarship and what difference did it make?
Anne-Sophie: I was in the second year of my engineering training at ENAC in Toulouse, where I specialized in aeronautical and space telecommunications. The scholarship allowed me to finance my departure on a volunteer mission to Qingdao in China during the summer of 2017, a very enriching experience of which I have incredible memories; then on my return to France during my third year of engineering, to follow the Master’s in International Management course at Toulouse Business School.
Audric: I was studying aeronautical engineering at ENAC. Thanks to my scholarship I went on to take an MSc at Cranfield University in the UK, in Astronautics and Space engineering. This would not have been possible otherwise.
Nicolas: I was at the University of Malta working on airport drone protection, when I was awarded the Egis scholarship. I developed a program that, based on the position of a drone in the vicinity of the airport, evaluates the corresponding danger. This is displayed digitally on a map of the airport and its surroundings and is intended to help controllers ensure the protection of everyone. Obtaining a scholarship undoubtedly allowed me the financial cushion to accept an unpaid internship abroad. I went to an English-speaking country and improved not only my English but also my Spanish because I was sharing a flat with a Spanish student on Erasmus. What’s more, the international experience that the scholarship helped support also allowed me to develop personally (social side, management of unexpected events, responsibility, ...)
Q. What’s happened in your career since the scholarship … and what are you doing now?
Anne-Sophie: The year after the award I successfully passed the ICNA (Air Navigation Control Engineer) competition, which led me to enlist on a new training course at ENAC (2019 to 2021) after having validated my engineering degree with a 6-month internship at ALTEN in Marignane, on a project for Airbus Helicopters. For the last 12 months, I am happy to have been assigned to the approach control center of Nice-Côte d'Azur airport, where I am currently a trainee Air Traffic Controller.
Audric: After my MSc at Cranfield, I completed an internship at Egis Avia in Toulouse and found a first job at SII. I'm currently working for the CNES (Toulouse) as a Satellite Operations Engineer.
Nicolas: I did my last year of studying at ENAC and successfully presented my final project in August 2020, which allowed me to graduate. Since then, I have been working for Capgemini engineering as a flight quality engineer.
Q. What advice do you have for other students interested in working in the aviation sector?
Anne-Sophie: If I could give one piece of advice to aviation students, it is to pursue their dreams: having had the chance myself to do a vocational job, I am convinced that fulfilment in one's professional life requires a real passion for what one does. I would also add, don’t be afraid to surpass yourself and to go beyond the limits of the possible, because in the end no one is expected to do the impossible! And since there is nothing like a quote to meditate on, I’ll end with these words by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: "Make your life a dream, and the dream, a reality."
Audric: My advice would be to not hesitate to specialise in the aeronautical sector, because it is a vast sector with multiple opportunities. You will always find a job that suits you. Your sacrifices will be worth it, so don’t give up!
Nicolas: My advice would be to be multidisciplinary. The internship I did with the Egis grant was precisely that. In fact, in addition to the aeronautical regulations aspect of my internship (close to my training), it had a computer development part (which I had a lot of in my training). I was keen to progress in this field to add another string to my bow. It paid off because it was appreciated at each of my interviews and by my current managers. Also, looking back, when I was younger, I was reluctant to do an exchange with an English-speaking family because I was not comfortable enough with English. But having now travelled abroad, I think it's the best way to learn a language.
Our thanks and congratulations to all our Egis scholars for their successes to date. We wish them the very best in the ongoing careers.
