I am Elisa Colonna, student in Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies at York University since 2006. I have just graduated magna cum laude with a specialisation in languages: French, English, and Italian. 

In September, I will continue my studies at York, this time in the Faculty of Education.  In June 2011, I will be certified to teach French to children.  I love to travel and my dream is to visit all of France, a wonderful and fascinating country.

I hopey ou will enjoy reading the following text about the only regret I have regarding my university life.

A Single Regret

Being a graduating student has one big tribulation for me: time goes by fast, too fast, much too fast!  Of course, I have been at York since September 2006, but it seems that my academic journey has only just begun.  I still remember my first days at York when I was intimidated by my profs, when I knew no one, when the world of the university was unknown and mysterious to me.  At first, I hoped that the four years go by as quickly as possible.  It was that I wanted to be done with the nightmarish quantity of work that was accumulating!  Today, however, as the time to receive my diploma arrives, I feel that time has passed too quickly, like lightning suddenly crashing through the clouds.  It’s an inexplicable sensation.  On one hand, I am happy to have arrived at this point, to receive my diploma, and to be able to turn the page and start a new chapter in my life.  On the other hand, there are still a great many things I would have liked to do but for which I didn’t have the time.  Or, to be honest, for which I didn’t make the time.

In a certain way, I have regrets.  The greatest regret this graduating student specialised in French studies is not to have gone on exchange in France or in Quebec.  For me, it’s a regret.  But for you, the reader, it’s an invitation to take advantage of your time at university and participate in an exchange program.  Not only will you enhance your diploma and add a bit of spice to your résumé, but you will also come home completely changed.  Such an experience in a francophone environment is unforgettable and an essential life experience for a language-learner.  You will enrich your linguistic, cultural, and intellectual baggage while having fun and maybe even creating lifelong friendships.

If the opportunity to go on exchange knocks on your door, don’t be like me! Instead, I’m begging you to open the door and fully welcome it.  Believe me… you won’t regret it! :)


For more information on some exchange programs, click here!