Overcoming International Hurdles

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought uncertainty for many across Mississippi, the United States, and the world. For college students, the journey back to their college town is often filled with eager joy—the opportunity to start a new semester, reunite with friends, and get one step closer to finishing their degree. But this year, the return to Oxford, Mississippi looked a bit different, with many students unsure of what hurdles to expect in the upcoming year.

Elise Denoulet, a first-year journalism master’s student from Lille, France, had additional hurdles to navigate, including obtaining a visa, finding housing, getting insurance, figuring out flights from France to Mississippi, and saying goodbye to her family. Oh, and did I mention she had two weeks to do all of this?!

“It has been a lot of stress coming here. I started my applications to graduate schools as soon as October and learned that I was admitted at University of Mississippi around May [or] June. However, the U.S. decided to close its borders to all European countries, so, for a long time I didn’t know if I would be able to fly here.”

Despite all the hurdles, Denoulet figured it out and arrived safely in Oxford right before the start of the fall semester. It is not her first time studying in the United States. During her last year of school as a journalism bachelor’s student, she studied abroad at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. Denoulet pointed out that, in France, it is very common to enroll in a master’s program immediately after completion of a bachelor’s degree. This pattern is partially explained by a difference between the United States and France, that bachelor’s degree programs in France tend to require only three years.

Denoulet is excited to be here at the University of Mississippi and says the friendliness and positivity of her peers on and off campus make it is easy to feel at home here. Chuckling about how funny she finds it when people ask her, “Why Mississippi of all of the states,” she describes how much she genuinely likes the South—not only are the world-renowned hospitality and heat personally enticing, but she feels it to be more of an experience than ‘up North.’

Being an international student is not without its own set of challenges. Denoulet has to navigate a culture that is still fairly new to her. She recalled a project where she wanted to interview the Mayor of Oxford and was shocked at how easily she was able to reach the Mayor. In France, she said, local elected officials are not always as accessible, and it is a long process to even speak to someone within a local administration. There is also the adjustment to the intense school spirit and passion for University of Mississippi sporting teams. She is even learning more about the extensive Greek system here at the University.

Denoulet’s passion is documentary filmmaking. She plans eventually to produce long form documentaries and wants to cover issues that directly affect people and the societies in which they live. Currently, during her first semester, she is taking a social issue documentary class, which not only fits with her passion for documentary filmmaking, but also allows her to study the films that paved the way for aspiring filmmakers like herself. Once she settles more into her master’s program, she intends to pick back up with Arabic language classes—which she began studying in France—and sees herself eventually working in the Middle East.

Regardless of where she lands, Denoulet is certain that the skills and experiences she gains at the University of Mississippi will help her reach the next steps after graduation. She is proud to be continuing her education in a state—and more specifically, in a town—where storytelling is almost as sacred as the American college traditions she is learning to embrace.