Talent Scotland Case Study 3 – Estelle Depetris at Xilinx
Estelle, aged 27, arrived in Edinburgh from her native Nice more
than five years ago with little English and a burning determination
to succeed in her engineering studies at the city’s Napier
University. After studying in France she moved to Edinburgh to
further her studies in computer and electronic engineering, and
completed her Masters in computer software programming. She
is now in charge of designing and managing the interface with which
Xilinx engineers and clients use special tools to develop the
latest chips for a variety of devices.
"I did not speak English in the first year I was here. In the
second year I worked in a placement in London and learned a lot.
There were many other French students there, and it was quite a
community," she recalls.
"I enjoy living here. There are many cultural differences from
France, and the workplace can be very political for example. I do
not find that here, especially at Xilinx," says Estelle. "Here
there is a stronger emphasis on your ability to do your job well.
We are quite a cosmopolitan group of people here, and Edinburgh has
a broad range of interests. I can travel back to France quite
easily to see my family, but I am very happy here and I would
recommend it to others."
