This year, 85 international students representing 24 countries joined ENS de Lyon. The Office of International Relations and the International Students’ Association prepared a tailor-made orientation program designed to meet the students’ needs and facilitate their integration into life in Lyon.

The orientation week included:

• Intensive French courses adapted to all levels, from beginner to advanced;
• Practical information sessions on administrative procedures;
• Thematic workshops focusing on health (in collaboration with the Medical Service) and on anti-discrimination measures (in collaboration with the Office for Equality and Non-Discrimination);
• A Climate Fresk workshop to raise awareness of environmental issues;
• Guided tours of Lyon, ENS de Lyon, and the Diderot Library of Lyon.

These activities allowed new students to form connections, become familiar with their new environment, and begin the academic year well-prepared for the journey ahead.

Finally, the traditional welcome cocktail, held in early October, marked the highlight of the integration program.

In his opening speech, Emmanuel Trizac, President of the School, encouraged students to embrace ignorance and failure with curiosity and good will, highlighting their fundamental importance in scientific inquiry:

You may be surprised by this praise to ignorance and failure. Don’t be!... Take it as an encouragement to be curious, to push doors and be prepared for the unexpected.

He also highlighted the importance of freedom of thought, interdisciplinarity, and the joy of learning, which are foundational values of ENS de Lyon.

Speaking next, Vincent Michelot, President of the Office of International Relations, emphasized the role of higher education as a space for critical reflection and intellectual openness. He explained that it should allow students to see global upheavals not as isolated crises, but as opportunities for learning and for applying knowledge in practice.

The political crisis we are going through right now is exactly what we in the university call a ‘teaching moment’... What a fantastic opportunity for you to move from the study of French political history as a distant theoretical corpus to participatory observation in our open-air lab, armed with the concepts and texts of our faculty and scholars. In a way, we invite you to move from the classroom and the library to the workshop.

Thus, he urged students to respond to global transformations with curiosity and initiative, consistent with ENS de Lyon’s enduring values of intellectual rigor and openness.

New international students, welcome to ENS de Lyon!