The Francophonie has pride of place in the University’s programs, research, and services. Each year, mentors welcome international students into this large and diverse Francophone community. During this Mois de la Francophonie, we want to shine a spotlight on these mentors.
Out of uOttawa’s 9,719 international students, some 3,633 attend uOttawa to study in French and to take part in the cultural, social, and academic Francophone activities on campus.
Clearly, these students are looking for opportunities to participate in campus life in French. And students from the International Mentoring Centre are ready to guide them and answer all their questions. As students themselves, these ambassadors of the enriching presence of the global Francophone community share with us their experiences and their discovery of the Francophone vitality of our campus. Their stories relate the importance they place on the French language and demonstrate their commitment to being mentors.
The Francophonie as a gathering place
Originally from Indonesian, Virginna Kusuma lived in France from the age of two to four. She then lived in Indonesia until the end of her high school studies with a family who felt that the French language was important.
What she has gathered from her experience is that even in Indonesia, the international Francophone community was present and supportive. “French and Francophone culture are an integral part of my life. The Francophonie that I grew up with was mostly from France. It’s amazing to see so many Francophones from different countries at the University of Ottawa. I had never experienced this.” In addition to her desire to support a diverse, open, and welcoming community, the opportunities that the University of Ottawa provides to Francophones convinced Virginna to study chemistry at uOttawa and to serve as a mentor.
Reconnecting with the French language
Anne Musene was born in Haiti and lived there until she was eight, when an earthquake forced her family to seek refuge in the Dominican Republic. Later, she and her family moved to Canada.
Anne attended elementary school mainly in the Dominican Republic. Every day, she spoke mostly Spanish, except at home, where she spoke French.
For her, studying at the University of Ottawa was a way of strengthening her ties to the French language and reconnecting with her mother tongue. “It’s a way for me to preserve the legacy that my parents have left me, to remember who I am and where I’m from.” Today, this mentor helps other students reaffirm their Francophone identity.
A Francophone place to call home
Miha Ramaromanana is from Madagascar and is studying sociology and psychology. However, she has lived in Mauritius, Madagascar, Republic of the Congo, South Africa and, since 2019, Canada.
“I have moved many times during my life, due to my mother’s job. But regardless of where I was, the French language was my comfort zone. I always felt at home wherever I could speak French.”
Miha decided to study at the University of Ottawa because of its bilingualism, and especially to continue to use her mother tongue, which reminded her of home. “I want to stay within my community, and especially in my comfort zone.” This mentor opens doors to the Francophonie on campus so that others can feel at home.
A community of Francophones and Francophiles
Manal El Kacimi studies mechanical engineering and computing technology. She is from Morocco and her mother tongue is Arabic. She started learning French at the age of three, with her mother. As such, she considers French as one of her two native languages.
“It’s a worldwide community of different countries, different cultures, but that all have one point in common: the French language.” The international aspect of uOttawa was one of the reasons that Manal chose to study here.
“It’s so fun to see so many different accents and cultures.” What matters to Manal is to see such a global, varied, and welcoming Francophonie. “No one form of French is better than another. The people here are really comfortable with that and are very open.” This mentor now shows others how love of the French language unites the Francophone and Francophile communities on campus.