This text reports my participation in the tribute to Dr Françoise Dieterlen that took place in Paris at the Campus Pierre et Marie Curie of Sorbonne University, on the 21st of June, 2022. I mention her role as my doctoral thesis director and mentor, as well as the relevance and the impact of her scientific contributions to fundamental knowledge of embryonic hematopoiesis and its links with the vascular system. My testimony also includes aspects of her personality that have influenced my own personal development.