– written by Angela Li, winner of the 2022 My Research in France competition
My name is Angela Li and I am a Bachelor of Health Sciences student at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. From May to August of 2022, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Rennes, France, and work on a research project at the École des hautes études en santé publique (EHESP). This project was made possible by a Mitacs Globalink Research Award with funding from the French Embassy in Canada as well as the Queen’s University Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellowship. I discovered the My Research in France competition through the French Embassy in Canada and was super excited to have the opportunity to document my journey through TikTok.
Under the co-supervision of Dr. Emmanuelle Godeau from EHESP and Dr. Colleen Davison from Queen’s University, my research project focused on the social and supportive experiences of adolescents with physical disabilities in France and Canada. Adolescence is a period of significant change, both physically and mentally, and involves extraordinary development in a person’s identity that is highly facilitated by our social experiences. We noticed that the existing body of research on this topic was missing a focus on physical disabilities, including limitations in vision, hearing, speech/language and mobility. Using data from the 2017/18 Health Behaviour in School Aged Children survey in France and Canada, we looked at support from peers, families and teachers, as well as both bullying perpetration and victimization. We compared adolescents reporting physical disabilities to those without, and also compared adolescents between the two countries. From our analyses, we concluded that adolescents with physical disabilities in both France and Canada experienced significantly less peer, family and teacher support, and were also at significantly higher risk of being bullied than their counterparts without physical disabilities. These results suggested that more efforts are necessary to promote inclusion and participation for this vulnerable population, especially in school settings. This was my first time seeing an entire research project from start to finish, and I learned so much about data analysis, the research process, and what it’s like to write a manuscript for publication. These are invaluable skills that I hope to continue growing as I enter the world of academia.
A typical day in my life working in Rennes.
While in Rennes, I was fully immersed in French culture, language and society. My capacity to speak French at a functional level grew just by participating in the hustle and bustle of daily life and through my interactions with others at EHESP. There were so many aspects of living in France that were different from Canada, including minor details like the AZERTY keyboard and locks being positioned upside down, that took some getting used to!
I had the most welcoming colleagues in the office and the best work culture I could ask for. Another amazing dimension of my experience was how diverse and international my work environment and accommodations were – I met so many cool people from all over the world!
One of the biggest highlights of working in France, however, was how easy it was to travel Europe while I was there. Using a Eurail train pass, I was able to travel every weekend and visited a total of 14 countries over the span of almost four months that I was in Europe! France is very well connected to its neighbouring countries and it was very straightforward to get to a plethora of top tourist destinations by train via Paris. I experienced so many new cultures, enjoyed great food and checked an unimaginable number of boxes off my bucket list. France itself was also beautiful and I had many fantastic trips within the country including to Cancale, St. Malo, Mont St. Michel, Paris, Nice and Lyon.
All in all, my summer (and research!) in France was absolutely incredible. I learned so much, experienced so many new things and met so many great people. I created memories upon memories while I was there and I can’t wait to visit again!
To learn more about my research and adventures, check out the rest of my TikTok @angelainfrance, follow me on Instagram or connect with me on LinkedIn.
The 2023 My Research in France competition is now live! Enter now for a chance to win a return trip to France! (contest rules apply)