Graduate Spotlight: Global Travel and Student Leadership Define the Journey of Business Graduate Paul Petitclerc

(June 2, 2026) — For Paul Petitclerc, a graduating student in Laurentian University’s Bachelor of Business Administration program, education spanned continents. By participating in an immersion program in China and studying sustainability in France, Petitclerc turned his undergraduate years into a truly international experience.

Originally from Sudbury, Ontario, Petitclerc chose Laurentian because it was close to home and offered a bilingual option coming out of École secondaire Macdonald-Cartier. While he liked staying local and keeping his community job as an arena Zamboni driver, closely checking his Laurentian student emails unlocked an unexpected passion for travel.

Last summer, Paul noticed an email detailing a cultural and academic exchange at the Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics in Hangzhou, China. Within a whirlwind three-week span, he went from inquiring about the program to landing in Asia as the designated trip leader for a group of 11 Laurentian undergraduate students.

For two weeks, Paul fully immersed himself in the experience.The group attended daily lectures on Chinese culture, the economy, and business operations, spending afternoons on field trips to regional museums, tea fields, and cultural experiences.

"It was probably one of the best times of my life," Petitclerc shares. "Navigating a country where no one spoke English or French with a group of students who had just met on the bus to Toronto was a fantastic experience. It completely bit me with the travel bug."

Not long after, Paul leveraged another Laurentian institutional partnership to jet off to Europe. He attended a specialized sustainability program titled EMPOWERING SUSTAINABILITY: Transformative Pathways in Consumption at the Burgundy School of Business in Lyon, France. 

As the only Canadian student in his cohort, Paul adapted quickly, using his francophone background to connect with an international class composed largely of South American students. He even utilized his time abroad to stay an extra week exploring Barcelona, Spain, before heading home.

"Those two trips opened the door for me to the possibilities of working anywhere in the world," says Petitclerc. "Before leaving Canada, I assumed I would look for finance jobs strictly in Toronto or Vancouver. Now, I am looking at opportunities worldwide—whether that's in Paris, New York, London, or major global hubs.”

Back on the Sudbury campus, Paul poured that same energy right back into his peers. In his fourth year, he stepped up as the President of the Business Student Council. Facing a unique challenge where every other member of the council was entirely new to the organization, Paul served as the returning anchor for the student body.

He balanced the heavy load of council work on top of a demanding fourth-year curriculum, all while preparing for the future by logging hours to study for his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Under his guidance, the council worked hard to boost campus life—launching networking events, a high school case competition, a charity flower sale for Health Sciences North, and an annual gala where his peers voted him the recipient of the Business Excellence Award. Paul even spent time collaborating with the university's marketing team to get approval for the council's brand-new student apparel logo.

Paul also served as a student representative during academic council meetings for both the School of Business Administration and the Faculty of Management, ensuring the student voice was heard at the institutional level.

As he prepares to walk across the stage at convocation on June 3, 2026, Paul credits his success to how much Laurentian's professors care and the close relationships he built with them. Alongside a minor in Economics inspired by the university's highly accomplished economics faculty, Paul highlighted the profound impact of School of Business Administration finance professor Kobana Abukari. Armed with a specialized Capital IQ data certification, a Business Excellence Award, and an international resume, Paul Petitclerc is ready to achieve his ultimate goal: breaking into global investment banking.