Stories

Bonjour,

My name is Peyton Darrow, and I am a Fourth-year Marketing + French major at Santa Clara with a minor in Retail Studies.

Studying French at Santa Clara has opened large doors for me. I have always been extremely passionate about French culture and language and knew I wanted to continue my studies in college. I took a course titled FREN 108 “French for Global Marketplace” that showed me the connection I could make between both my majors of Marketing and French. In this class we learned how to write resumes in French, held mock-interviews and did a deep dive into various French companies. This course ultimately lined me up for my future career and opened my eyes to the powerful duo of a French and Business degree.

Using the skills I learned in all my French courses, I began applying to jobs at French companies my junior year. I obtained an internship with Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy’s Kendo Brands in SF where I did cosmetic marketing and was able to sit in on meetings with Sephora Paris and other EU department stores. After this internship, I received an offer from L’Oréal in Paris to work at their Clichy HQ. This position would never have been obtainable if it wasn’t for the assistance and mentorship I received from the French department. My French classes guided me through the cultural norms and etiquette to the interviewing process and allowed me to go into interviews confident from the previous practice that I had received. I was able to Guest Lecture in FREN 108 the following year and help students with the job application abroad. I am extremely excited about my future career and am very confident in my choice of studies at Santa Clara. I highly encourage any prospective students to consider the advantage a French major can provide. I am currently working at Cartier, and once again was put at a large advantage having a background in French. Business and French are a powerful combination that I couldn’t recommend enough to students.

Best,
Peyton Darrow