When the Olympics came to Arthur Goualin’s hometown of Paris in 2024, the stars aligned to make his dreams come true.

He already had a master’s in sports business, and had worked the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia. In June 2024, Goualin graduated from UCLA Extension with a Marketing Certificate, hoping the added specialization would make him even better suited for a dream role that summer.

It was thanks to networking that Goualin was able to secure a position. When he was scrolling through LinkedIn, he saw a post by someone from the Paris Olympics team soliciting people to join them. He jumped at the opportunity, and reached out to his connection before applying.

Goualin secured a position as a guest communications coordinator after several rounds of interviews. He was tasked with overseeing communication and hospitality logistics needs for VIPs, National Olympic and Paralympic committees and premium clients. Though the position lasted only three months, Goualin explained it was not an easy role, as he had to manage over 40 Olympic venues and ensure that the diverse needs of the guests were fulfilled.

“I really enjoyed my time there,” Goualin said. “First, it was awesome being able to work in an environment with a lot of cross-cultural and cross-functional work, and also because the events were in my hometown and that’s something particularly exciting and special. The last Olympic Games took place in Paris 100 years ago, so it was a very special event for me.”

Goualin noted that his time at UCLA Extension helped him prepare for this role, giving him confidence to work effectively on large projects. He added that the case studies with experts in the marketing industry gave him real-life knowledge of the profession.

Goualin expressed his interest in participating in the role again if the opportunity presented itself, as he learned a lot in his time at the 2024 Olympics. He appreciated meeting people from all around the world. Along with strategic thinking and communication in a high-pressure environment, he was able to gain more experience in collaboration and leadership.

“Being able to work on big events like this requires a high attention to detail because there’s just such high expectations,” Goualin said.

With the Olympics coming next to Los Angeles in 2028, Goualin recommends UCLA Extension students to take part in it as he did. Simply volunteering or being placed in one of the many roles that are available would be very beneficial to them, he said.

“It's definitely an amazing experience where you're going to meet a lot of people from all over the world," Goualin said. “You're going to be able to learn in a very fast paced environment with a lot of pressure, in a multicultural environment.”