A new international mobility model for elite student-athletes, inspired by a GEM student
GEM is developing a new approach to international mobility, combining academic excellence, elite sport and personalised pathways, inspired by North American models. This vision is designed to be extended to other exceptional talents.
GEM signs an academic partnership with Florida Southern College (FSC), a U.S. institution recognised for the excellence of its academic programmes, its AACSB accreditation and the quality of its sports facilities. This partnership illustrates GEM’s ability to design tailor-made international pathways, specifically adapted to differentiated student profiles, particularly elite athletes engaged in a demanding dual academic and sporting project.
A partnership born from a concrete student need
This agreement originated froman initiative led by a GEM student, Perrine Sonier an elite water-ski athlete, currently in the first year of a Master Programme. A member of the French national team, Perrine recently distinguished herself by earning two second-place finishes at the French Open (U21 category), as well as U21 European medals in jump and overall events.
During an experience in Florida, Perrine expressed the need to continue her academic studies while training at the highest level, after establishing an initial contact with Florida Southern College. By listening closely to its students, GEM mobilised its international network to build an academic solution suited to this dual requirement.
Reconciling international mobility and elite sport
Faced with the reality that elite student-athletes are often forced to choose between international mobility and a sporting career, GEM designed an innovative alternative, which can be extended to other profiles in the future. Thanks to this agreement, students are able to attend courses at FSC while joining its university sports teams.
Beyond its high-quality sports facilities, Florida Southern College also stands out for its personalised academic
support, excellent student-to-faculty ratio and residential campus that fosters full immersion.
Florida: a world-class training environment
Beyond Perrine Sonier’s individual pathway, Florida is recognised as one of the world’s leading training environments for water skiing, thanks to its concentration of lakes and a climate that allows intensive training over many months.
Several elite GEM student-athletes are currently training in the region, including Antoine Morin (PGE, U21 World Champion in jumping), Pol Duplan-Fribourg (PGE, first year of a Master’s degree and World University Champion in Overall) as well as his brother Louis Duplan-Fribourg, a GEM alumnus (World Champion in Overall Water Skiing). This high-performance sporting environment gives full meaning to the tailor-made academic pathway built around Perrine Sonier’s experience.
An international dynamic set to grow
A Florida Southern College student has already expressed interest in studying at GEM as part of this exchange, opening the door to future developments such as academic exchanges, internships and dual degrees. This partnership also strengthens GEM’s presence in the United States, where the School already relies on solid academic collaborations, notably with the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, as well as with Stanford University and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
