Meet Natalie France

Student spotlight

Meet Natalie France, a highly accomplished business student with a unique and inspiring college experience.

At the end of this semester, Natalie France will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in marketing, international business, and supply chain management, with a minor in French. Her accomplished resume results from a history of hard work dating back to high school.

Born and raised in Ankeny, Iowa, France’s time in high school was filled with a plethora of involvements and opportunities, providing her with valuable experience before college. One of her most beneficial experiences was a work-based learning program called Orbis, which connected her with local companies. Through the program, France got a supply chain internship as a senior in high school with Kreg Tool Company in Ankeny.

In addition to the internship, she was able to dual-enroll at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) while still in high school, which allowed France to earn 30 college credits before graduation. With her impressive resume coming out of high school, she had a lot of options for college.

France initially considered pursuing her education outside of Iowa but ultimately decided to stay in-state due to COVID-19 concerns. She was later offered the George Washington Carver full-tuition scholarship at Iowa State University, which prompted her to explore the university further and eventually determine it as the ideal choice for her undergraduate studies.

The first year of college

Wasting no time, France became an involved student. She started with Trend Magazine, an Iowa State fashion magazine, which continued to spark the creative side that France has displayed since early childhood.

“My first year as a committee member (for Trend Magazine), our model disappeared the day of one of our photoshoots,” said France. “With her unable to make it, the committee looked to me based on my previous experience and being the best fit for their vision.”

France found herself loving the environment, and being back in front of a camera reminded her of how much she thrived in the spotlight. With her creative vision burning brighter than ever, France added marketing as another major.

Unsurprisingly, pursuing two degrees created a hectic schedule. To keep balance in her life, France practices self-care and healthy living.

“I always make sure to give myself time during the week to decompress,” she said. “I enjoy everything from getting active through dance or Pilates to simply relaxing with a good book.”

Keeping a good balance in her life has allowed France to make the most of her college experience from the start, securing a supply chain internship with John Deere following her first year. In addition to gaining valuable real-world experience, France excelled in the internship, which led to her returning for the next two years.

The second year of college

France’s passion for involvement continued to grow. She would go on to work as a peer mentor for two years, walk in The Fashion Show at Iowa State, and participate as a member of the Model Committee, Women in Supply Chain Excellence (WISE), Multicultural Business Network, and more.

Through her many involvements, France has left a lasting impression on many, including her academic advisor, Tara Fisher.

“Natalie’s determination and drive has allowed her to achieve many things as a student in the Ivy College of Business,” Fisher said. “She is someone who sticks out in my mind as taking advantage of every opportunity available to her while she is here at Iowa State.”

One opportunity France was especially excited to pursue was studying abroad. Unfortunately, she entered college during the height of the global pandemic, which led to nothing being offered in her first year. So, when the opportunity arose for her to study in Belgium during the spring semester of her second year, France jumped at it.

She looks back on her time abroad as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience. While abroad, France created connections with international companies, traveled around the beautiful country of Belgium, and bonded with other international students.

France’s time abroad further amplified her love for travel and pursuing new experiences.

Through the help of Iowa State, she was able to spend a year at Florida International University. During her time there, she secured an internship with the Orange Bowl Committee in Miami, Florida, working in their marketing partnerships department.

“I was working with the Orange Bowl Committee sponsors, managing brand activations for community events, helping with contract management, leading the leadership academy, and ensuring everything was going according to plan,” said France. “Combining the creative side of my skillset into what I was doing made for an incredible experience.”

“Never take ‘no’ as a stopping point. There are many points where you are going to hear that something isn’t possible, but it’s important to never let that scare you or halt your passion. Being confident in yourself and striving to reach your goals are your greatest tools for finding success.”

— Natalie France

With her hard work and high-achieving mindset, France continued to add to her experiences by interviewing with the American Marketing Association (AMA) while in Florida. The interviewer was impressed by France and recommended that she apply for the position of president for their local AMA chapter.

“Being put in a leadership role while new to the association made for a challenging, yet exciting experience, which allowed for a lot of personal growth,” said France. “I was able to build my confidence by continuing to put myself out there and developed not only my career skills but my interpersonal skills as well.”

France has accumulated an impressive resume throughout college and attributes much of her success to what Iowa State and the Ivy College of Business have provided her.

“After studying abroad and going to school at Florida International, I don’t think any other school could have given me the opportunities Iowa State has,” said France. “With being a George Washington Carver Scholar and studying abroad, Iowa State has always found a way to help me pursue opportunities and succeed in whatever aspirations I have.”

Looking beyond college, France hopes to find herself in a marketing or supply chain role that best aligns with as many of her goals as possible.

“I would love to create more spaces for underrepresented groups interested in niche careers,” said France. “My main goal is to find myself in a position where I can give back. I’m extremely grateful for the many opportunities that have been presented to me, and I want to provide those experiences to as many others as possible.”

With France having accumulated an impressive record of success throughout her time at Iowa State, she was able to provide some words of advice for fellow students.

“Never take ‘no’ as a stopping point. There are many points where you are going to hear that something isn’t possible, but it’s important to never let that scare you or halt your passion. Being confident in yourself and striving to reach your goals are your greatest tools for finding success.”

To connect with France, visit her LinkedIn page.

To learn more about France, visit her website.

Learn more about getting involved at Ivy.

April 15, 2024