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Every year, École des Ponts ParisTech's Refugee Student Program welcomes people from exile to consolidate their French and help them resume their studies in French higher education. Ponts Alumni provides support for this program, the main point of which is toallocate an alumni sponsor to help students choose their career path.

The role of the sponsor is to inform, advise and support students in their choice of career path, drawing on their experience of the professional world in France. This involves choosing a field of study in line with the job market, proofreading CVs and cover letters, simulating recruitment interviews for internships or work-study programs...

The sponsor also plays a role in the student's inclusion in French society by introducing him/her to the daily life of French engineers and the specificities of our culture.

This sponsorship is above all a relationship that the two of you create together,depending on the time and affinity you develop together.

Here's a testimonial from one of this year's sponsors, Paul Chabas:

"I've been taking part in the alumni/refugee pairing program for 3 years and have therefore been in contact with 3 people: Yeneakal from Ethiopia, Jabril from Somalia and Arman from Bangladesh. Each time I've tried to organize a typical French meal at my place to meet them and chat, and each time it's been great fun! Cultural exchanges of course, debating whether it's better to eat camel liver or honey pops for breakfast, for example. But above all, it's about students who have lots of questions that we can help them with: is it better to do a Master's at the Arts or at Dijon University, how to make the most of your CV, or is it okay to go to an afterwork party with colleagues if you don't drink alcohol?

It's not a very time-consuming activity, I'd say it's taking an hour a month to take the time to review the situation with the student, and possibly meet him or her in person, which is always nicer.

What I appreciate in this activity is to be able to bring help directly to someone, that you have in front of you a plus for his adaptation in France, and also to make a meeting, Yeneakal has for example since time become a friend!"

With 25 students at the start of the 2023 academic year, we need to strengthen our team of sponsors.

If you feel likebeing useful by helping to welcome and support refugees, this is an opportunity to seize a human experience by filling in the short questionnaire below:

For further information, please contact us at :