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The winners have been announced, and  

New York University

  Leonard N. Stern School of Business (NYU, New York, NY) grads Jocelyne Lesko, Joy Martinez, and Liz Vayda are free to relax. Though they insist the all--expense--paid trip to Paris wasn't their sole incentive for competing in the 2003 L'Oréal Marketing Award, NYU's Team Tonic can't hide the fact that they're thrilled to be lounging on pink couches after the competition, and soaking up the culture of the city of romance. They didn't take home a trophy - this was, after all, the United States' first year of competition in the 10--year--old program - but they feel they've accomplished all they set out to do. "We've learned so much just by going through the competition that we've already come away with a lot," attests Liz.

The trio spent the 2003 school year as cosmetic brand managers, driven by the challenge to create a new hair care brand for Garnier. They came up with Garnier Go2, a line of oxygen enhanced, energizing hair products for the "superscheduler."

After besting teams from NYU, and competing at the national level against the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) and the Fashion Institute of technology (New York, NY), the marketing majors flew to Paris in May for the international finals of the 2003 L'Oréal Marketing Award.

Though getting there was a thrill, it was "insane," says Jocelyne. "We were spending weekends in the computer lab, making our PowerPoint presentation." They also had to balance the project with all of their other commitments. "We just had to prioritize," states Jocelyne. "I stopped speaking to all my friends," laughs Joy. "When I did, it was only about oxygen."So what motivated them to continue in their quest? Jocelyne breaks it down: "We're all overachievers; the prize to go to France was an amazing opportunity; and we were being judged by L'Oréal through the whole process. Whatever we did really looked good in terms of Job prospects."

Once in Paris, they competed with teams from 17 countries around the world for a shot at the grand prize of 15,000 euros (about $17,000) and all--expense--paid trips to three cities. Though the competition was stiff, with Singapore's team emerging victorious, the girls didn't come home empty handed. "We really learned a lot doing it - everything it takes to launch a new product, including developing, packaging, and advertising," says Jocelyne.

They also learned about customizing a presentation for international clients - something they'll improve on in future endeavors. "You have to adapt whatever you're presenting to [the people] you're talking to," affirms Liz. And as the girls lounge and chat with their new friends from Canada, you don't get the impression they lost anything at all.



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Robyn Tellefsen is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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