A historic edition for the 2022 class gift
On Wednesday, June 8 this year, more than 900 HEC Paris students from the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 came together on the HEC campus for the traditional Class Gift dinner, on the eve of their graduation ceremonies. This event provided them with the opportunity to become official donors of the HEC Foundation by making a donation and to celebrate their entry into the HEC Alumni community.
Due to the pandemic, the classes of 2020 and 2021 had not been able to celebrate their departure from the campus. Eloïc Peyrache, Dean of HEC Paris, had promised that these classes would celebrate their graduation and attend the Class Gift dinner once the situation improved. A promise kept, which meant that these students could experience this unique event in person!
The festivities for the HEC Paris graduates of 2020, 2021 and 2022 began in the early evening on a sunny Wednesday, June 8 with the Class Gift event, on the eve of their graduation ceremony.
After an outdoor cocktail event on campus, the students came together in a giant marquee, set up each year especially for the departure ceremonies, and took a seat at one of the 110 tables awaiting them. There was much excitement, as the majority of participants, especially the classes of 2020 and 2021, had not seen each other for some time. With certain participants already in employment for a year or two, there was much catching-up to do at this long-awaited reunion.
Prior to announcing the new delegates of the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022, Eloïc Peyrache, Dean of the School, Delphine Colson (H.94), Executive Director of the Foundation, and the event sponsors Adrien Couret (H.07), Sabrina Herlory Rouget (H.02) and Vincent Rouget (H.03), addressed the students to wish them the very best in their careers and personal futures, and to remind them of the importance of staying in touch with their school, the HEC Alumni Association and the Foundation. “This Class Gift does not mark the end of HEC, it is only the beginning of your adventure with HEC”, said Adrien Couret, Major Donor and President of the HEC Alumni Association.
Sabrina Herlory Rouget (H.02), Major Donor and volunteer for the Campaign Committee France of the HEC Foundation, had this message for future graduates:
It’s an undeniable fact that our School has made us lucky people. [...]. In spite of the determination, perseverance, work and commitment, our lives would probably not have been the same without this degree. What matters is not luck, it’s how to use it. [...]. Something else we have learned is to act, and with conviction. There are a lot of ways to do this, but one of the most important is to give. It is therefore fundamental to invest in a school whose aim is to welcome 25% of its students on scholarships and thus play its part in fostering the social mobility our country needs. My friends, our generations are facing immense challenges which can only be met with lucidity, courage, determination and heart. We’re going to have to show great solidarity.
Sabrina Herlory-Rouget (H.02), CEO, Aroma Zone
After a superb fireworks display in front of building S, the Class Gift continued with the traditional POW at the Kfet, where the students enjoyed one last evening on the Jouy-en-Josas campus.
Thanks to students’ participation and the support of the event’s 3 generous sponsors, €196,000 was raised! This collective donation will serve to fund tuition for some fifteen students as of next September.
This first donation to the HEC Foundation highlights the generosity and solidarity of fresh graduates towards the School and its future generations. It testifies to the sense of togetherness which is held dear by our community.
A huge thanks to all the new donors to the Foundation, to Marc Ramanantsoa (H.05), initiator of the Class Gift, and to the volunteers and students of the Class Gift Association (who spent months preparing this event), for having perpetuated this tradition so wonderfully!