Michelle Fu
Michelle Fu
- Degree(s): Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Global Studies
- Major(s): Chemistry; International Relations
Monash Science double degree graduate Michelle Fu is no stranger to internships and how to make them work.She started looking for internships at the end of her second year at university. “Summer internships are a great way to gain initial work experience and doing them early in your university career can give you a lot of insight on future career paths and the technical and soft skills necessary in the workforce,” Michelle said.
Her first internship was with Nufarm, where she worked in the formulation lab testing the stability of new pesticides. After graduating she completed an internship year at GSK as a continuous improvement practitioner. Now she is Commercial Graduate in L’Oreal’s graduate program, which consists of two, six-month rotations.
"What attracted me to L’Oreal was its breath of brands and the various retailers they operate in. I love that level of diversity and as someone who enjoys learning about new industries and concepts, it provides breadth within a single company. I also love L'oreal's entrepreneurial culture - everyone is open to new ideas and challenging current ways of working."
So far she has completed a rotation as a skincare and cosmetics category analyst for L’Oreal’s Consumer Products Division, which allowed her to develop her business acumen and understand the key drivers in the FMCG market in terms of brands, consumers and channel. “During this rotation I improved my data analytic skills and developed long-term strategies for the business,” she said. As part of her current rotation Michelle is working as a sales and inventory specialist for Specialty stores (Sephora and Mecca) in the company’s luxe division.
It was the double degrees that initially attracted Michelle to Monash University. “My double degree gave me the freedom to study two very different majors and the Global Studies option supported my exchange program,” Michelle said.
“I also found Monash had the longest lab hours which was awesome because I love the hands-on aspect of learning chemistry.”