Utah Students Land Real Jobs Through France Consulting Project

Utah State University students just proved that the best classroom might be a boardroom 5,000 miles from home.

Through the Huntsman School of Business France Global Consulting Experience, students spent four months working as actual consultants for One Provence Promotion, an organization attracting foreign investment to southern France. They researched healthcare companies, assessed market fit, and presented strategies that could shape real investment decisions.

This wasn't a practice run. Student teams analyzed over 60 companies across medical devices, biomanufacturing, and immunology, then traveled to France to pitch their findings to regional executives and economic development leaders.

"The stakeholders were real, the investment decisions were real, and the energy in the room when we presented reflected exactly that," said Nate Dent, a recent accounting graduate who led the immunology team. His group developed weighted scoring systems and custom engagement strategies that executives could immediately use.

The program partnered students with actual business challenges rather than simulations. They visited Airbus Helicopters, major pharmaceutical facilities, and innovation hubs to understand how global companies approach growth and sustainability.

For first-year student Brent Scott, the experience transformed his entire college trajectory. Despite feeling intimidated as the youngest participant, he built professional confidence he never expected to gain until senior year. "I now feel significantly further ahead in my college and professional journey than I ever thought possible by the end of my first year," Scott said.

The Ripple Effect

The program is creating unexpected career paths. Eli Hugie discovered biomanufacturing through his team's research and immediately secured a job in the field. Kelsey Phillips, focused on luxury cosmetics, initially questioned how healthcare consulting would help her career until visits to robotics companies changed her perspective on competitive brand positioning.

Even students headed to medical school found value. Ricardo Tienda-Pérez, now pursuing his master's at UNC Chapel Hill, learned that successful global business requires deep appreciation for local culture, regulations, and geography.

Professor Sterling Bone designed the program around a simple idea: students learn global business most powerfully when organizations trust them with meaningful work. The France partners agree. "The students brought tremendous energy, preparation and fresh thinking," said Sébastien Cavalier, CEO of One Provence Promotion. "It was exciting to engage with them as genuine consulting partners."

The model is working because it replaces observation with responsibility, turning students into professionals before they graduate.