Yves Falanga
Year: Ph.D student
Destination: United States (exchange student from France)
Hometown: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Major: Integrative life sciences
Born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yves Falanga moved to France at age 17 to attend the Universite de Rennes 1 and to pursue his dream of being a scientist. Yves wanted to grow, learn and experience a different culture. He chose France because he already spoke French and had friends living in France. Even though he spoke French, Yves says that he did experience culture shock, but learned to accept the differences. He continued to live in France for the next five years, going to school and working to pay for his shared apartment.
From France to Virginia
Yves said that “most scientific journals and research [articles] were written in English,” which fueled his interest in improving his English skills. While attending the Universite de Rennes 1, he applied to the International Student Exchange Program and came to VCU to study bioinformatics. Yves completed an academic year of graduate-level classes in bioinformatics and decided to apply to the Ph.D. program. He was accepted and now is a Ph.D. student in integrative life sciences with a concentration in molecular immunology and cancer biology.
Fashion and salsa
What makes Yves an exceptional individual is not just his independent nature and maturity, but what he has contributed to the VCU community. In addition to pursuing a Ph.D., he works in the John Ryan lab for molecular immunology and serves as the fashion week coordinator of STRUT, an annual student-produced fashion show.
“Grow, learn, mature.”
He also teaches salsa at the VCU Stuart C. Siegel Center. Jean-Michel Hatton, coordinator of Student and Scholar Services, noticed Yves teaching salsa to a few international students and recommended that Yves teach a group fitness class through VCU Recreational Sports. Salsa is now a very popular part of the VCU group exercise classes.
The sky’s the limit
Yves’ most memorable experience studying abroad is his time spent with other ISEP students during his first year at VCU, as well as traveling to other parts of the U.S. such as Las Vegas for Christmas break and Miami for spring break. His experience with ISEP students has inspired him to take on the role of ISEP ambassador, where he welcomes and integrates incoming ISEP students to VCU and plans events for them.
Yves said that his international experience has helped him grow and mature in a way he could not have imagined. “You don’t see it until you go back to your hometown,” he said.
