There’s a unique connection between Liverpool Hope University and Lille, France - and these students are taking advantage of it.
Hope has a number of strategic partnerships with colleges and universities across the world, including in China, India and the USA.
And one key Hope ally is the Catholic University of Lille, aka ‘La Catho’,
Hope and La Catho established a joint European Institute in 2016. And the two institutions have worked together on research projects and innovative degree programmes - including the recently-launched Master’s in Contemporary European Affairs, which unlocks the door to further postgraduate study in France.
Meanwhile Study Abroad and Exchange opportunities also see students arriving in Merseyside from Lille - a cohort that really enhances the student experience for all at Hope.
What a lot of Hope students and staff don’t realise is that there’s even a special ‘Lille Embassy’ located at Hope in the Frances Mary Lescher Building, Hope Park.
This embassy is a dedicated space exclusively for the use of students and staff from Lille, to ensure they feel at home.
And to find out a little bit more about this relatively ‘secret’ community, here we chat with some students who’ve made the 400 mile journey from northern France to Liverpool.
Uriel Sambiani
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Ambitious Uriel has enjoyed a particularly long journey to Hope - having arrived in Merseyside via Lille from his native Togo, Africa.
The 21-year-old has two passions in life - for computer science and for travel. And he’s managed to combine the two by embarking on an exchange programme between Lille and Hope.
Uriel is actually completing the final year of his Computer Science BSc at Hope, having studied for the first two years in Lille.
And he ultimately plans to return to France to undertake a Master’s in either Computer Science or Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence.
Speaking about his time at Hope, Uriel reveals: “So far, the experience has been really great. The student life here is really vibrant, which means I’ve been able to go out and discover everything this brilliant city has to offer.
“The people here, including the tutors, are also very nice. My dissertation supervisor in particular is wonderful and is always on hand to offer help.
“And what has surprised me in general is how approachable the tutors are - it’s a great feeling to know that I can reach out for support whenever I might need it.”
Uriel dreams of a career working in the automotive industry, designing the software that underpins self-driving car technology. Indeed, that’s the subject of his dissertation.
Meanwhile Uriel has also found an outlet for another key interest in his life while at Hope - basketball
He plays for the Hope team, and is close to helping his side clinch the title.
He adds: “Being at Hope, I’ve been able to open-up my circle of friends, and I’ve met so many great people from lots of different cultures.
“I’ve joined the basketball team and I’m also a member of the Afro-Caribbean Society (ACS). And that’s what’s great about coming to a place like Hope - you’re always presented with the opportunity to put yourself out there and meet new people.”
Léonard Dillies
Originally hailing from northern France, Léonard completed four years of undergraduate study at Lille before joining Hope, where he’s now in the first year of a Master’s in Politics and International Relations.
And Léonard, 21, says he feels fully supported as an exchange student in Merseyside - even if he does struggle with the Scouse accent at times!
Léonard, who has a particular interest in food policy, explains: “My classes are all interesting, and I was glad to see how much the teachers cared about my status as an exchange student, offering to help me better understand courses and being overall very available.
“I am thankful to be there with other exchange students: since we were all new to the city and the university, it was helpful to face that novelty together, and it also allowed us to be good friends.”
Léonard says he’s enjoyed mixing with other international students at Hope, particularly those from the United States and India, as well as those from his native France.
He’s also been impressed by the facilities at Hope compared with Lille, particularly the myriad places to stop, sit down and work or socialise, or the Hope Park Sports centre.
He also describes the quirky ‘Lille Embassy’ as a ‘nice intention for students from Lille’.
There have, however, been some adjustments to make.
Léonard admits that some of the teaching formats are different from Lille and have taken a while to adapt to.
And Léonard, who will return to Lille next year to complete the final year of his Master’s, adds: “The thing that surprised me the most about being in Liverpool was maybe the local accent, that I did not know of before coming here.
“I had trouble understanding it at first but it gets better, even though I still need to ask people to repeat themselves sometimes!
“Overall, the city feels nice and lively, and the people here are friendly. I like how Liverpool has some huge, modern neighbourhoods with many shops, as well as ancient and historical places of interest. It's definitely a nice place to walk around in."