Education

Ph.D., University of Cincinnati
M. A. in French Literature, University of Cincinnati
Maîtrise de Sciences de l’Education, Université de Nancy 2
Licence de Sciences de l’Education, Culture et Communication, Université de Nancy 2

As a French native speaker, I grew up in the ancient Gallo-Roman city of Tours, at the center of the famous Loire Valley Chateaux, well-recognized by millions of tourists each year not only for its exquisite and unique gourmet cuisine and wines (Vouvray, Chinon, 
Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil, to name a few) but also for its famous French writers and philosophers Rabelais, Ronsard et Balzac,  Descartes, and Alfred de Vigny.

After receiving a Master’s degree in Education from the Université of Nancy II, France, I was invited to teach at the Mount School, unique as the only Quaker senior girls' day and boarding school in the United Kingdom. It was there that I developed methods based on an interactive approach and the classroom creation of everyday Francophone situations. In addition, I strongly encouraged my students to enroll in a study-abroad program or/and to travel in a French-speaking country for a certain amount of time. They invariably returned with a growing self-confidence, happily  surprised about how well-prepared in French language and culture they had already become through our classroom experiences.  

Following a fulfilling teaching experience in England, I moved to the United States, where I completed a Master’s and a Ph.d. degree in French Literature at the University of Cincinnati and was awarded  a Taft Fellowship.