Crépin Misonge: my trajectory from Cameroon to Ca' Foscari and Belgium

Ca’ Foscari University of Venice holds the 61st place in the QS World University Ranking by subject for foreign languages. Many international degree seekers choose our university for their language-related degree programmes.

Crépin Misonge, Director of the International Relations Office at Haute École Lucia de Brouckère in Brussels, was once a student at Ca’ Foscari. After graduating in language studies in Cameroon, Mr Misonge decided to use his knowledge of Italian to enrol at Ca’ Foscari. 

“A lot of Italian culture makes its way into Cameroon,” he says. “While I was a university student I fell in love with the language, so I obtained some language certificates (B2 and C2) that allowed me to come to Ca’ Foscari to further my language studies. 

In Venice I obtained the ITALS Master in teaching and promoting the Italian language and culture to foreigners, as well as the Master's Degree in Language Sciences. 

Venice was the first Italian city that I saw and became enamoured with. After the initial shock — I remember struggling to understand the local dialect when I first asked for directions to get to Giudecca island — I started to feel at home thanks to the friendships I developed with my peers and to the great relationship we had with our teachers. The cultural events organised by Ca’ Foscari also helped me discover the city and make new acquaintances.

Ca’ Foscari’s Welcome Office made me feel well-received and provided me with all the information I needed, even accompanying me to the local police station to request my residence permit. To this day, when someone asks me for advice on where to study languages, I always recommend Ca’ Foscari.”

After completing his studies in Venice, this alumnus received a job offer that prompted him to move to Belgium. “Following my graduation in 2017, I spent six months working as an intern for the European Commission in Brussels. The topic of my internship was Global North-South Cooperation — one that I am still working on.

After the internship I worked in the field of international mobility for professional training in secondary education. In the meantime, I completed the Master de spécialisation Communication interculturelle et interlinguistique at the University of Mons in Belgium, focusing on international institutions, negotiation and intercultural practices.

Thanks to the degree I obtained at Ca’ Foscari, with which I qualified to work as a teacher, and thanks to the master I received from the University of Mons in international relations, I was able to participate in the national competitive exam in Belgium to work in public administration. That’s how I began to work in the world of higher education and in particular of Haute Écoles, where I taught Italian and also worked in international mobility and cooperation.”

What are the main challenges in international relations today? “Firstly, we are working to promote cooperation and new mobility projects. Events such as the one organised by Ca’ Foscari and INDIRE last June also help us develop new networks. For what concerns the institution I work for, we are trying to make our programmes more international by adding courses in English and to make our staff more mobile.”

What are your hopes for the future of international relations among institutions? “I believe it is important that we expand the network of collaboration with Sub-Saharan Africa, opening up to countries beyond the EU borders, with the goal to create a more inclusive planet: one in which information and culture contributes to international development.”