Just four weeks after arriving in Paris to study, University of Queensland (UQ) engineering student Will Schlyder found himself in lockdown amid a global pandemic.
The aerospace engineering graduand and two fellow UQ students were part of the first cohort of the International Double Degree, meaning they graduate from France’s University of Paris-Saclay (programme run by CentraleSupélec) with a Masters in Aeronautics and Space: Mechanical, Automatic and Energy (M2 AS-MAE) as well as UQ's integrated Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Master of Engineering.
Mr Schlyder said he was keen to take the opportunity, after learning about the unique program from UQ and receiving the International Double Degree Grant (2020) and the John Simmons Mobility Fund Grant (2019 and 2020), plus an Erasmus+ grant from CentraleSupélec
“Paris, France came up as one of the options, and I thought that was already quite enticing, and also since I study aerospace engineering, a lot of the initial stages of aeronautical engineering theory were developed there,” Mr Schlyder said.
“I thought there is no better place in the world to start learning than where a lot of it comes from, and so that was cool, and there are also a lot of big companies there.”
But just weeks after settling in, France went into lockdown after an outbreak of COVID-19, leaving Mr Schlyder and just a few others alone on campus.
“It was really difficult at times, but in the end, it was a good experience".
“The program started around the 10th of February 2020, and we were put into lockdown on March 17, so there were a few weeks where we got to do everything, to see everything, and then the pandemic struck".
“All of the students who lived in Europe went and studied from home, but we were the only ones from Australia, along with an American and few from South America left on campus, so we all became quite close".
“It gave us the chance to actually learn French and to apply ourselves to that and to our studies.”
Once conditions eased, Mr Schlyder took the chance to complete two internships over the two years in Paris.
“People I did the internships with, including my supervisors, all understood the story of what was happening in our lives with the pandemic and being overseas, so we developed some really good relationships,” he said.
After what he described as a crazy two years, Mr Schlyder was quick to take advantage of international borders re-opening to spend time with his family.
He returned to Brisbane for his graduation in December 2022.
“What this taught me is that you never know when you will get to see your family again, so if you can lock in a time, then do it.
“I’ll be here for a few months, but then I plan to head back around the world to see what the best opportunities are".
And he has other-worldly ambitions.
“I would love to develop something that uses space to help mankind, and the space exploration side of things really excites me as well,” he said.
“I would like to see if we can provide some solutions for humanity and then see if we can manage to get to Mars and to the Moon again.”
Is a future trip to Mars a possibility for this double Masters grad?
“My Mum said no, even Paris was too far away for her, let alone space. So I have said I would go to the moon, but Mars is a bit too far.”