Jennifer Timani (H.28): Fists and heart

Boxing champion Jennifer Timani (H.28) is the first student to receive the Stan Schwab Scholarship for athletic excellence and merit. Meet her — outside the ring.

Breathing hard under the white gym lights, sweat dripping down her forehead, Jennifer Timani fires off a flurry of punches, eyes locked on her coach. “Keep your guard up!” shouts Stéphane Nemi, known as Gwadoss. She pivots, ducks, counters — her gloves crack through the air like gunfire.

Born in Kyiv in 2003 to a Lebanese father and a Ukrainian mother, Jennifer grew up between sports clubs, music school, and the rhythms of her homeland. “I admire the humor, optimism, and strength of Ukrainians. Their attachment to freedom inspires me,” she says. “But I also feel very close to French culture — I had my first French lessons when I was three!”

Now pursuing a double degree at Télécom Paris and HEC, Jennifer combines mathematical precision with the calm determination of a fighter. “Jennifer is a model student — disciplined, punctual, hard-working, and driven. She’s always striving for excellence,” says her coach, whose club is based in Les Ulis. “The first time I met Gwadoss, I was amazed that he could spot all my flaws just by watching my guard,” she recalls, with deep respect.

While the war forced part of her family to leave Ukraine, most of her relatives still live in Kyiv. “I haven’t been back for a while,” she says softly. Her mother lost her best friend in a bombing. “It was hard to see her in pain.”

In France, she joined the elite science prep school Louis-le-Grand “two years without sport” before enrolling at Télécom Paris, where she proved that excellence and engagement can go hand in hand. Her current routine as an HEC Paris student: four to six hours of boxing a day, constant commutes between Nanterre (where she lives with her brother), Les Ulis, and now Jouy-en-Josas, where she’s active in the Start’HEC and Fight Club associations. And, she admits with a laugh, “some sacrifices at the cafeteria I have to keep my fighting weight, or I end up bumped into the next category!”

A fighter’s reward

Admitted to HEC, Jennifer became the first recipient of the Stan Schwab Scholarship for Athletic Excellence and Merit a tribute to Stan Schwab (H.09), a passionate athlete who passed away far too young. It was a deeply moving ceremony. Stan’s friends and family were there, many in tears. “Receiving this scholarship was a huge honor it carries profound meaning,” she says.Jennifer began classes on campus in August.

A milestone for someone determined to become an entrepreneur. “My dream is to innovate at the intersection of data science, artificial intelligence, and cloud technology combining my technical background from Télécom Paris with the strategic and managerial approach of HEC,” she explains. Her role model? Yassine Hargane (H.24), cofounder of Umiros, a start-up focused on AI training and consulting, and an investor who, like her, studied at Télécom Paris before pursuing an HEC dual degree. “He introduced me to the program. His example reminds me of something essential: anything is possible.”

At first, Jennifer considered applying for the HEC Imagine Fellows Scholarship, intended for students from countries affected by war. But recognizing her athletic achievements, the HEC Foundation guided her toward the Stan Schwab scholarship instead. To complete her application, she called her grandfather and asked him to photograph all her medals — dozens of them, the result of five years of fencing, seven years of swimming, five of rhythmic gymnastics, and eleven of Japanese MMA, or “ultimate MMA.”

After arriving in France, she decided to focus on English boxing, one of the core disciplines of MMA. When she talks about the sport, her face lights up: “It’s such an intellectual sport. It’s like chess you have to think several moves ahead, lead your opponent where you want them. It’s a dance, a conversation. At the end of a fight, you’ve shared so much that you just hug grateful for the moment.” She admires world boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, who raises funds for Ukraine. “He embodies the resilience of the Ukrainian people,” she says.

Despite her success, Jennifer remains humble. “In boxing, you can’t think about winning or losing you just have to enjoy it. And respect your opponent, because there’s always someone stronger than you.” Excellence, humility, sincerity — the guiding principles of an exemplary path.