Gabrielle Marceau: A Mentor, Advocate, and Supporter

My testimonial could be just one sentence long: Gabrielle Marceau has significantly influenced the course of my career. Since this piece appears in an academic journal, I am compelled to substantiate this assertion. Below, I attempt to explain what is, for me, an indisputable fact. I met Gabrielle Marceau in January 2014, when I was a student in the Master’s in Law and Economics (MILE) programme at the World Trade Institute in Bern, Switzerland. She and Lothar Ehring co-taught the introductory module on World Trade Organization (WTO) law—the principle of non-discrimination. As a lawyer, I was eager to dive into the legal portion of our interdisciplinary programme after several months of blissful immersion in economics and political science. However, I was unprepared for the initial disorientation. I vividly remember sitting in class, frantically taking notes, while trying to keep up with the fast-paced explanations and perplexing case law analysis. The result was humbling: a C on the first 24-hour law exam. It was the only C I received during the programme—but it left me frustrated, disappointed, angry, and ashamed. A few months later, I was faced with the decision to choose my Master’s thesis supervisor. At that point, I had a few good grades behind me and lecturers, whom I had impressed, who would have readily agreed to supervise my paper. Still, I was determined to work with Gabrielle. My topic focused on South Africa’s proposed limitations on foreign investment in domestic security services. It was a classical non-discrimination case, so it made sense to work with her. Many of my classmates thought I was mad to ask her because of her reputation as a tough marker. But I was convinced that to be the best, you must work with the best. I spent a week drafting the email. She replied, asking what grade I had received in her class. I answered truthfully—and to my astonishment, she agreed. Gabrielle’s supervision of my Master’s thesis was a six-month academic rite of passage. It also marked the beginning of an incredibly edifying relationship. Gabrielle was a demanding supervisor—precise, uncompromising, and rigorous—but also fair, responsive, and generous with her time and knowledge, The period during which I wrote my Master’s thesis was one of great upheaval in my life. After the MILE, I moved to Germany, my husband’s homeland, where I juggled my academic project, a demoralising job search, and social integration. Six weeks before my thesis was due, my laptop was stolen at a friend’s wedding. I lost all my thesis work. Of course, I had not backed up anything—an error I have never repeated. Despite the setback, I rewrote the thesis and submitted it on 30 October 2014, one day early. Gabrielle awarded my thesis a perfect score and supported its publication in a journal. True to form, she was understated in her praise, but I was astounded. A 100% score from Gabrielle Marceau was no small feat. Since then, Gabrielle, whom my husband affectionately calls my “Geneva mother”, has been far more than a former supervisor. She has remained a steadfast mentor and advocate. Whether or not she would call herself my mentor is immaterial—I have claimed her as one. In those early days, she never tired of my requests for reference letters for countless job applications. Her consistency and support kept me going. I still believe that she was instrumental in helping me secure my dream job at the Advisory Centre in WTO Law (ACWL) in 2015. I presented a strong application and performed well on the exam, but having the Gabrielle Marceau stamp of approval set me apart …