‘All the doors are open’-- How France is attracting America’s brightest graduates

Enri Lala, 21, says a single email changed the trajectory of his life.

The University of California Santa Barbara graduate was sitting in his room last September checking his inbox when he saw an email from his professor about the Lafayette Fellowship.

A prestigious scholarship opportunity launched for the first time last year, the fellowship proposed covering a select group of American students' tuition, travel and living costs at a French university for one year of postgraduate study.

Mr Lala, studying History and French at the time, decided to apply. He was among 3,400 students across the country competing for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

After a long application process involving multiple rounds, a video submission and an interview, Mr Lala received an email on an otherwise unremarkable day in late February with his application decision – he had been admitted as a Lafayette fellow.

"It's one of those moments where it's hard not to let the emotion show, like, really let it take you over," Mr Lala told The Connexion. The fellowship will fund his master's degree at Sciences Po Strasbourg in international affairs, with a focus on European security, he said. The program is 80% in French. 

He joins 29 other bright American students who have landed in France to pursue postgraduate studies across a variety of disciplines. These students are the inaugural cohort of the fellowship, which was launched this year by Villa Albertine, an institution of the French embassy of the US, alongside France Science, the Office for Science and Technology (OST) of the French Embassy in the United States, and the French government. Some fellows are in entirely English programs, while others are in a mix of French and English and a few in fully French-taught programs. 

In addition to tuition and travel funds, students receive a €1,500 monthly stipend for living costs. The funding lasts one year.

The new fellowship comes at a time when the US government is cracking down on research funding – especially for clean energy and diversity topics – and US universities are losing their attractiveness abroad. Transatlantic relations also stand on shaky ground, following tariffs on French and European goods.

Amidst this context, the Lafayette Fellowship seeks to strengthen diplomatic relations between the US by encouraging a new generation of leaders. The 2026-2027 fellowship season officially kicked off in July, with students attending the French-American Leadership Program, which took them to numerous cultural sites around France.

The Connexion spoke with four Lafayette fellows about their new chapter in France.

Olivia Cannizzaro

Olivia Cannizzaro, 21, has long been connected to France. A Franco-American citizen who studied chemistry at Kalamazoo College in Michigan, Ms Cannizzaro studied abroad in France in 2024. 

Working at a free healthcare clinic that served refugees and migrants seeking asylum in France her interest in equitable healthcare issues grew. The experience solidified her desire to return to France.

Therefore, when her mom sent her an Instagram post about the Lafayette fellowship and she saw advertisements for it at her school, she decided to apply. Throughout the involved application process, Ms Cannizzaro drew on both her leadership experience – she was captain of her school’s equestrian team and a board member of a college health professional society – as well as her identity as French and American.

"I really understand both and I will never lose both, so I can really act as a bridge between the countries for the rest of my life," she said.

As she prepares for her master's program in biomedical engineering at Université Paris Cité, Ms Cannizzaro said she is most excited to be immersed in French culture again and meeting new people. Long term she is considering medical school or a career in public health, but her options remain open.

What is more certain, is that Ms Cannizzaro sees herself in France for a while.

"Ultimately, I knew that getting an education in France maybe was a little bit better aligned with who I am, and my culture and where I see myself," she said. "Because I do see myself ending up in France."

Enri Lala

Mr Lala has always been interested in history, but said his last few years of his undergraduate degree – which he completed in California – drew him specifically to questions of weapons technology and civilian protection. As for his French minor, Mr Lala, who was born in Albania and has lived in California ever since he was 11, explained "I think there's always been a cultural connection between the Albanian world where I grew up and France, as with most of Europe, really."

France also has the second largest defense budget in the European Union, making it an ideal place for Mr Lala to study themes of weapons, conflict, protection and effective institutions that interest him.

Like many other fellows, Mr Lala remembers working hard on the various aspects of his application – especially the cover letter and video component.

"I remember vividly being in my full suit and doing 50 takes of the same video," he said.

Following his master's program at Sciences Po Strasbourg – which involves travel around the Balkans and Brussels and the chance to intern at a European institution – Mr Lala aims to work in American national security and diplomacy.

"I want to be part of what I think is an upcoming generation of Americans who are very deeply committed to American leadership and sovereignty, but at the same time, who understand that our position in the world and our ability to achieve what we want relies on our allies," he said.

Cole McCallum

Cole McCallum spoke to The Connexion from his new apartment in Toulouse on the day he moved in.

Mr McCallum, 22, is soon to start a master's degree in aerospace engineering in the southern French city, at the L'Institut supérieur de l'aéronautique et de l'espace (ISAE-SUPAERO). However, while this next chapter as a Lafayette fellow is a new one, Mr McCallum's connection with France goes back many years.

While completing his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering and physics at the University of Arkansas, he attended a language school in Grenoble and was hosted by two French engineers. Here, he got to see how the system worked overseas.

"In France, they have a very theoretical approach – they're very math-forward, first principles, whenever they do their work," he said. "It's something that really clicked with me."

He later completed a semester at Centrale Supélec, a top engineering school in Gif-sur-Yvette in Île-de-France.

When he returned from this semester abroad, the physics department told Mr McCallum about the opportunity to return to France as a Lafayette fellow. When he found out many months after applying that he was accepted, Mr McCallum described it as a "very very happy moment."

"The first thing I do is of course call my parents," he said. "And we're all just kind of like fist pumping – woke up probably half my neighbors."

Following his degree, Mr McCallum said he is not sure whether he will return to the US or stay in France, but is leaning towards the latter.

"That's really the end goal, I would say, is to have something where as an American, I can bring something to the table, but also have a real appreciation and understanding for the French system," he said.

Benjamin Sindell

Like many other Lafayette fellows, Mr Sindell has had a longtime connection with France. His father has always been interested in French culture and language, and Mr Sindell spent his childhood summers in south-west France, in Ariège.

However, what sets him apart is his field of study in France: he will attend the well-known decorative arts school École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. He is one of the few fellows on an artistic path, rather than STEM.

Mr Sindell, who studied political science and architecture as an undergraduate at Middlebury College in Vermont, spent a year at École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris.

"I found my passion for French architecture and the way in which architecture is taught in France," he said.

Coming from a liberal arts background, Mr Sindell said it was a novel experience to be surrounded uniquely by those studying architecture: “you live and breathe architecture every day.”

He also appreciated the French method of complimenting architectural studies with activities such as portrait-drawing classes and museum visits. 

Beyond France, he draws from other cultural contexts for inspiration as well. A Japanese American, the 22-year-old takes an interest in Japan's architecture.

As he prepares to enter the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs as a visiting scholar, Mr Sindell looks forward to learning more about the discussions French students have with each other about art and design. That is one of the experiences from France he would like to bring back to the US.

He said he sees himself staying in France long term and aims to make the most of this fellowship by learning more about different areas of study within art and architecture as well as appreciating French perspectives on these fields.

He called the Lafayette fellowship an "amazing opportunity," especially because fellows are able to contact so many people for help.

"It really feels like all the doors are open for you," Mr Sindell said.