French International Alumna, Millie Orlando, Finding Success in France
The 2024 Olympic torch relay started in May, as 10,000 torchbearers helped celebrate the Olympics' arrival in Paris this summer. One of those torchbearers was French International alumna Millie Orlando. Millie graduated eighth grade in 2013, pursued a double-masters degree that landed her in France, and has been working professionally in Paris ever since. Millie shared about her time since leaving French International, how the school influenced her professional aspirations, and what it was like carrying the Olympic torch.
Where did life take you after Middle School?
I went to Jesuit for high school, and then at Jesuit, I thought I would stay in Northwest, in Washington. (My dad's from Seattle.) I realized I wanted to go somewhere new, and I was looking for programs in international business. My advisor told me about the University of South Carolina, which was and still is the top international business school. They had a French cohort program that sends students to France for the entire junior year, so I applied to that in high school and got accepted into the program directly, which doesn't usually happen. Usually, you have to wait until after your freshman year, but thankfully, my French background got me in.
For my year abroad, I went to ESSEC Business School, one of the top business schools in Paris. I was still studying international business but focused on luxury marketing in Paris. I knew I wanted to be in luxury, but the question was how to get there, especially being from the US where there are not many opportunities in the industry. The connections from ESSEC make it a big feeder into the luxury world, which sped up my track into the industry.
After studying abroad, I came back, and COVID hit. I went back to South Carolina to finish my degree, where I learned of the Double Degree Master’s in International Business partnership between ESSEC and USC. I knew I wanted to go back to Paris, but as you can imagine, during COVID, no one was hiring, and there were no job opportunities right out of school. I wasn't planning on getting another degree, but given the circumstances, knowing I wanted to go back to France and that I had automatic admission to the program because I completed the undergrad, I decided to stay. Finishing the program would mean that I earn two master’s degrees, one from a US university and the other from a French one.
I finished the first half, and the following December, I moved to Paris. The program in France had an internship requirement at the end of your studies, and I figured that was the perfect opportunity to get into luxury. I applied for an internship with Givenchy, and I got accepted for customer relationship management (CRM) and retail performance. Being a fully analytical data role, I knew it wasn't what I wanted to do, but I could do it for six months if it opened more doors for me in the industry. Then, on my first day, they asked me if I'd rather take over client events, to which I accepted with no hesitation. My manager ended up leaving about a month into my internship, so given that I had taken over the role on my own, they offered me the job after my internship was up (which is pretty rare in France). This brings us to today, as I’ve now been in this role for two-and-a-half years.
What does your role look like with Givenchy?
I’m in the Retail EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) team under the client development umbrella. I’m in charge of the client experience for all European stores (France, Italy and the UK). A big part of what I do is client events, which means organizing fashion shows, client dinners, champagne tastings, and all the fun stuff.
I also manage the gifting strategy and offer one-of-a-kind experiences to our clients to continue to develop loyalty — private cooking classes at the Ritz, chocolate ateliers, private boat cruises on the Seine, etc. It really is a dream job for me. No two days are the same. Also, I've been with the same team since I started. They really are the best.
Are you doing your work in English, French, or another language?
Most of my work is in French because that’s the native language of most of my team in the office. Since I cover the whole European region, the common language is English, so I use it often. French is typically more on the day-to-day and then English for events and collaboration with other regions.
What was it like carrying the Olympic torch?
It was definitely the coolest thing I've ever done. It's going to be my “fun fact” for the rest of my life.
In January 2023, we received a mass email from LVMH, the parent company of Givenchy, with the application for the opportunity to participate in the torch relay. I submitted the first application with absolutely no expectations. They said they’d get back to us in about six months, so I forgot about it.
Midway through the year, I got an email saying LVMH had selected my profile and sent it to the Olympic committee. From there, it was the luck of the draw. There were over 110,000 applications for the 10,000 spots, not including all the celebrities and athletes who were already appointed. Then, in January 2024, I got an email saying I was selected to carry the torch for the upcoming Olympic Games.
I was assigned a day midway through the relay, on June 25th, to carry in the Franche-Comté region next to Switzerland. I'm pretty sure I was one of the only (if not the only) Americans besides Snoop Dogg in the relay, which is pretty cool. We didn't have too far to go, about 200 meters. I think it was three minutes from start to finish. But you stop to take pictures and videos with the crowds along the way. It was awesome.
You have massive crowds all around you, cheering kids and about 20 bodyguards following my every move. Plus, you're literally carrying the Olympic torch and are part of the cauldron-lighting ceremony you always see on TV. I was nervous because I didn’t really know what to expect. Is it heavy? Am I going to drop it? It actually went by so quickly that I didn’t have much time to think about it all. Everyone's screaming and yelling. You have a million cameras all over and one guy whose job it is to just tell you where to look and when to slow down/speed up.
They showed us all of the behind-the-scenes of the Olympic torch, how it works, how they light them, how they keep it lit in the little lanterns, and how they keep it from ever going out. It’s the real deal, a crazy thing not only to get to see but to be a part of. We also got to keep a piece of the torch. They gave us the rings that connect the top and bottom of the torch — engraved with Paris 2024 Torchbearer and our torchbearer number.
How did French International prepare you for what you’re doing now?
I think it's pretty obvious that the French prepared me for where I am now, it’s 100% of the reason I came to Paris. It’s not just learning French but the cultural side of the studies as well, with all of the teachers being from French-speaking countries. It’s the stuff that we read and the things we did in class. A lot of my French friends who grew up here are shocked at the books, the TV shows, and the music that I know because at school, we watched those cartoons, read those books, and sang those songs.
I am sure my parents are glad that I’m getting their money's worth from my education, although they might be less excited to have me living so far. It really is the reason I am where I am today. My parents aren’t French, they don't speak French, and I had no connection to France whatsoever. My parents thought it'd be nice if their kids learned another language, and I’m so glad that they chose to send us to French International. It’s all thanks to them.
I was just talking to one of my childhood best friends, also from French International. She visited me last week in Paris, and we don't really have any bad memories. Everything was so positive—everything from art to music to the actual school itself. We would garden. We would play outside. It's not a typical American education.
Do you have any favorite memories or anything that sticks out from your experience at the school?
I was just talking about this with my friend who was visiting. We had this long list of things, but one of the big ones was ACE Weeks, which does not exist in other schools. It was so much fun.
Probably the biggest thing is the friends that I made. The people I’m closest to are my friends from preschool and elementary school, which is not typical. We keep up all the time. Even right now, I live with one of my best friends from French International in Paris. When we tell everyone that we've been friends since preschool, they're shocked.
I played in a rock band because David Olson taught me how to play bass guitar, sparked my love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and helped us play at different venues all over Portland.
Our art classes at the time were unmatched, we did incredible projects, the music classes, and can’t forget PE with Ron and the unforgettable Ahh tournament.
The international trips were obviously big, too. I still talk about my France and China trips weekly. It comes up all the time at work. Everyone’s shocked and impressed that I was able to build those experiences at such a young age.
Then there’s the teachers and the aides, of course they’ve had a huge impact as well.