We have the honour to feature Bianca Florea in our Aspirers in the Spotlight series. Bianca is a successful Aspire alumna who graduated Aspire High School in 2014. An extremely hardworking catalyst and high achiever, she combines her passion for law with her entrepreneurial spirit.
Currently, Bianca is a final year Master’s student (Master 2 in the French academic system) in Economic Law – major in Business, Markets and Regulation at Sciences Po Paris, a scholar of the French Government and a junior lawyer at the Bucharest Bar. She is holding a magna cum laude Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Sorbonne Law School as well as a bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest.
Specializing in Competition Law and EU Economic Law, Bianca will soon join a big international law firm in Paris and work in this field. Apart from having a successful career in law, Bianca is also an entrepreneur, working on a legal tech startup. This was recently admitted to the Sciences Po Incubator, an incubator which will help her and her team further develop the product and launch it on the market.
“I participated at Aspire High School in 2014 and there is one thing that I know for sure: Aspire represented a breakthrough moment in my life as a teenager. It was for the very first time when I realized how important it is to surround yourself with quality people and how much it can help you grow.”
Bianca Florea
“Aspire made me believe in myself and motivated me to pursue my craziest dreams. It helped me create a great network, made me believe in this amazing community spirit, and developed my soft-skills more than any other experience I’ve ever had. I, therefore, joined with great pleasure the Aspire Academy and Aspire for Teachers organizing teams for a few years, and I experienced the enthusiasm of contributing to the beautiful story of Aspire programs.”
Bianca Florea
1. If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
I truly believe in the importance of doing what you enjoy the most. For this reason, I encourage everyone to first engage in a self-discovery journey, no matter how long it might take, and only afterward to start an activity/ studies etc. Indeed, it is important to work hard for your dreams, but it is much more important to find a way to work smart, to ask questions, to find people that can help you and to try to always do the things your own way.
2. What are your non-negotiables?
Sincerity, friendship, fairness, authenticity.
3. What was the hardest decision you ever had to make?
The hardest decision I’ve ever made was to continue my studies abroad when I already had everything I wanted in Romania. However now, one year and a half later, I don’t regret anything and I am sure that all the experiences that I have lived are more valuable than any “gains” that I might already have as a practicing lawyer in a prestigious law firm in Romania.
4. Can you tell me about a time when you almost gave up, how you felt about that, and what you did instead of giving up?
There were many times when I felt like giving up on my entrepreneurial project and start focusing exclusively on my professional path as a lawyer. Fortunately, every time my team was there for me and helped me go back on track. Surprisingly, the moments that followed were the ones in which our project progressed the most.
5. What is that one book that has influenced you the most?
Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup Book by Bill Aulet. No book before has helped me so much to structure my thoughts and my work more than this.
6. Why should people apply for an Aspire experience? What did you gain by being part of this community?
People should apply for Aspire if they want to live a truly transformational experience, to disconnect themselves from the norms they were used to, and to integrate into a community like no other. I made a lot of valuable friendships, I did a lot of networking that helped me choose my career path and I participated in classes and activities that were so memorable that I remember them up to this day. I felt honored to participate in classes taught by the prestigious teachers invited at Aspire, who made me discover what it means excellence in education and convinced me to apply to top universities abroad.
Favourite motto
Authenticity over everything.