French Program Alumni - Languages, Literatures and International Studies

Majors: French major, Biology major with an Ecology concentration

My favorite moments as an LLIS student were all the mornings I would spend with one of my best friends, preparing for our early morning French classes. We'd get a cute breakfast, often with French pastries or meals to "inspire us" as we studied or did homework together. You can build a lot of bonds working hard trying to comprehend French.

I took a French Literature of the 20th Century course that introduced me to a lot of philosophy and new ways of thinking. It wasn't just books, but cultural and philosophical context wedged in to break apart previous worldviews while opening a fissure up for new ones to flood in. Not only was I introduced to the ways French culture shape literature and thinking, but a wider understanding of society in general.

Major and minor: French Secondary Education major, Philosophy minor

My favorite moments as an LLIS student make me think of community. I have had so many laughs throughout every bit of this program, but I reminisce particularly about my time as a one-on-one French tutor: I got to really get to know the students that I was working with, and many of them became close friends. I also think about the French Table: in my last semester at NMU, I was not enrolled in any French courses, so I opted to go to the table every week to get some practice, and I loved just getting to chat in our second language. Maybe that's because I am just a chatty person... must mean I'm in the right major!

Major and minor: French major, English minor

In the US, it is uncommon to learn a second language, with French even less common. Therefore, French major has been valuable to me on the job market. After graduating from NMU in December 2023, Ford Motor Company offered me a job, and I gladly accepted. I work in administration and I liaison with Ford partners from French-speaking Quebéc. 

Employers were very interested in skills such as excellent communication, understanding diversity, ease of gauging different perspectives, and experience in navigating in an environment with varying opinions. Employers know that in addition to the valuable commodity of speaking French, those skills are learned uniquely in a second language classroom. Studying French at NMU has allowed for new friendships, career advancement, and a deeper understanding of the world around us.

I am incredibly grateful for my time studying French at NMU because it expanded my worldview and gave me access to opportunities and friends that I would not have had otherwise. But even more importantly, I see now that my French background is instrumental in my professional future. My advice for any undergraduate students thinking about pursuing a degree in French; no matter what your career aspirations are, a foreign language is never a bad tool to have in your back pocket. You never know when you may need it!

Having a background in French was definitely of value to me, also in everyday life and in traveling. Having confidence with French was one of the reasons I traveled. French classes opened my eyes to what there is to experience and made travelling seem possible/feasible.

Studying French at NMU has benefited my career as an attorney. My French skills have allowed me to quickly understand legal documents because I can easily translate legal terminology, much of which is derived from French, and arises often in case law. I work at a small private practice law firm in Bozeman.

I struggle to think of an experience in my life in the past 10 years where my French studies haven’t played a role in some capacity. Knowing French has helped me in countless ways, and it has certainly opened the world to me beyond just francophone countries. Just one of the many benefits is how learning French has tuned my ears and eyes differently so that when I’m in countries where I don’t speak the language, I can pick up on words that sound or look familiar to draw educated hypotheses of what is happening. Even in places where one would least expect it, it seems there’s always a way to connect back to French. 

My studies in the French Program at NMU have helped me on the job market, and are instrumental in my continued studies at my home in Finland, and in my future career plans.  My strong language skills as well as cultural awareness, integral to every French classroom at NMU, were definitely an asset when I applied and was offered a position as a Delivery Manager for an IT consultant broker at my home in Finland. The company is Swedish-based with a large network of suppliers through Europe. I use French when contacting our French-speaking suppliers. Moreover, familiarity with French culture has helped me to understand and to communicate better with the French.

I currently play professional hockey in Lillehammer, Norway, a former Olympic city.  Many World Cup, World Championship, and winter sports events are still held here, with visitors from all over the world.  Because of my study with Dr. Kupper in the French Program at NMU, I don’t shy away from saying hi and starting conversation when I meet people speaking French, such as for example, professional athletes like skiers from France and snowboarders from Quebec.  I also find myself using French more with family and friends when I return home.  

I cannot express how valuable having a background in French was to my work. French is used in many international organizations and is taught all over the world. I served in the Peace Corps Senegal, September 2012 to November 2014 as an Agroforestry volunteer in rural Senegal, West Africa. The relationships I cultivated in Senegal were augmented by my base knowledge of the French language. From buying vegetables in the local market to working with international non-governmental organizations; the foundation that French provided allowed for a more fulfilling and productive experience.

I have been assigned to a Sub-Saharan Africa Peace Corps post because of my French education at NMU.  I am embarking on a journey to Madagascar in March 2013, where I will be serving for two years as a Rural Environmental Food Security Advisor with the Peace Corps. French is their second official language next to Malagasy. I have been told that English is not well known in this country so I am looking forward to learning the Malagasy language as well as drawing on my French language to communicate. I have always wanted to visit Africa and have been intrigued by its vastness. I am really excited to start this new French journey, even as French has already been useful to me in my travels.

I pursued a degree in French coupled with an International studies minor at NMU, and the benefits have been amazing in both my professional and personal achievements.  In my current job, where I have been the past five years, I advanced into the role of Global Event Manager and Corporate Governance Secretary for an international executive search network of 40 offices worldwide where my language skills have proven to be a necessity. I have used my French throughout the past 5 years in my role including for translation of website content as well as with partner level colleagues at our global meetings that I have planned and attended in over 10 countries.

French has been entirely fundamental in my career plans.  For the language skills themselves, which have proven to be absolutely necessary, but even more importantly because my experience through the French Program at NMU gave me the opportunity to discover my true passion.  I am currently a Ph.D. candidate (ABD) in Art History at the University of Texas – Austin.  In this particular area, French has been a key element in my graduate work, allowing me to read my sources, such as texts and other printed media in various archives.  In my field, and in many other disciplines, knowledge of two languages beyond English is required at the Ph.D. level.  

I am very thankful to have a BA in French from NMU because it has been essential to my personal success and professional achievement.  Advanced language proficiency is absolutely vital to my current line of work as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State.  Studying French at NMU helped me obtain the cross-cultural communication skills and foreign regional knowledge that advanced my career and helped me land a position representing the United States government overseas. 

Learning French has benefitted me in my career plans as an attorney, making me more marketable in my field. After graduating from NMU, I went to law school in Indianapolis, IN, and passed the bar exam this past fall. I am now a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois. Employers consistently ask if I speak another language when I apply for or interview for a position. When I can say “yes, I am proficient in French,” I get an edge on individuals who cannot function as the firm’s translator, when the need arises to converse or translate with a French-speaking client or witness. French has also allowed me to make new friends, further enjoy my hobbies, and travel with ease. 

Learning French has been critical in my life as a journalist. Working in a small-town newspaper, I can read the online editions of French papers, exposing me to a whole new angle of the news. I knew I had to study abroad to prepare me for the rest of life, which sounds kind of corny, but it is true that I gained a great level of confidence by living in France. Knowing I can survive in France gives me the confidence to be able to travel, should that ever become part of my career, and I hope it does. Even options like the Peace Corps are much more attractive having already broken out of the United States. 

Everything they say about studying a language through study abroad is true: it is the most wonderful, frustrating, embarrassing, exhilarating, heart-wrenching, happiest experience, depending on the day. Do it, and do it for as long as you can. You will never regret it.

The large city where I now work is a melting pot. I interact with people from all over the world in different places, not only in business, but at restaurants, grocery stores, places of worship, and so many more. My experience in the French classroom encouraged me to continue to engage and learn more about other cultures. In my current role, I deal with people at different corporations, and engage with them about the impact they want to make on the community.  Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with a business associate who was originally from Belgium. Because of the FR 438 course, I understood the political, social, and linguistic divide between the Walloons and the Flemish.  Knowing the culture and their background created an environment of understanding and made the visit with the partner so much better. I could competently meet with someone from Europe and find a common ground and discussion.

I double-majored in French and chemistry at NMU. From a practical perspective, the in-depth study of a foreign language honed my ability to critically analyze my statements for accuracy, clarity, and nuance, skills that are essential yet often overlooked in natural sciences. More broadly, my upper-level courses in French literature, film and culture, as well as a directed study of the social underpinnings of riots then occurring across France, forced me to reach beyond stereotypes (such as myths that the French are rude and hate Americans) and appreciate the complexity of foreign cultures, an immensely important ability in our ever-shrinking world. I believe my studies of French at NMU have greatly enriched my academic and personal pursuits, and will continue to do so.

I count my decision to continue studying French in college as one of my most farsighted when I think of all the opportunities I would not have had without it.  One of the greatest opportunities was the time I spent studying abroad in Grenoble, France.  While my chosen field of study was able to place me in such an incredible area, my knowledge of the language also gave me the ability to communicate with my host family, classmates, professors, and the city inhabitants.  It also helped to get me out of some sticky situations.  It is an experience I can relive down the road in Francophone areas around the world.  

I will always be grateful to the French program at NMU and Dr. Kupper in particular for challenging me to my greatest potential and showing support and confidence in me.

Major and minor: French major, German minor

Alum Anne Chitwood graduated from NMU in 2006, followed by her teaching English in Austria with a Fullbright Teaching Assistantship.  Besides English, Chitwood can speak French and German.  She lives and works in Russia right now.

I transferred to NMU in the winter of 2003. It won the contest because of its teaching program, gorgeous wilderness, and the fact they would let me study abroad where I wanted at the time: Dijon, France. I originally wanted to major in English Education, but my French professor at my previous university, Grace College (IN), recognized my motivation and love for language and culture and encouraged me to change majors. After a semester of conversational French at NMU, I headed off to test and improve my language skills and while travelling to Germany on holiday, decided to declare my minor German. 

I would not change my French degree from NMU for anything. What we learned in the classroom pertaining to the French language and culture is not just limited to the country of France. I was able to use my French speaking skills and background in studying French during other NMU related trips including Costa Rica, Panama, and Italy. Studying French helped me understand other languages and customs. Since college I have also traveled throughout the Bahamas and Mexico, where again, the skills I had learned from my French classes at NMU largely added to my overall experience with interaction and comprehension of foreign countries. In my career I have used my French speaking skills to talk with coworkers and customers. 

French has helped me in my career as I am gaining my master's degree in global history, with the aim of studying gender history in Islamic North Africa.

Knowing French is vital to completing the research I will need to do in my field, since I will not necessarily be able to rely on translated evidence. I plan on focusing on Moroccan history in particular, and as a former French colony, many of the historical documents I will be looking at will be in French.  As a historian, it's very important to look at primary sources, and proficiency in French is a tool that allows that.   Also, knowing another language lends more legitimacy to the study of history, as it demonstrates someone who is well-informed.

I studied French for four years at NMU. The French language has indirectly been in my life since I turned two through the study of ballet. This was the reason I chose to study French over Spanish or German when it came time to pick a language in high school. My grasp of the French language and culture also helped me during my study abroad in Italy. Knowing French made picking up the Italian language much easier! Traveling through Europe and being immersed in the French language and culture while in the NMU French Program gave me the confidence to continue my travels abroad with friends and family, as well as on my own. 

I found that my marketability in international business has been directly affected by my ability to communicate in French, which played a large role in my being hired into the internal audit department at TRW Automotive, an international company. If I did not speak French, I would not have this job. 

I have worked for TRW Automotive in the internal audit department since June 2008, and we travel to all the plants throughout the world.  I actually do a lot of traveling for my job.  I have been sent to France to conduct internal audits of different plants in France, each time for a three-week period.  In addition to performing audits, my role in France is also to facilitate communication between my team members and the local staff at our French plants.

French was a key to pursuing my dreams and I know that I wouldn't be where I am today without it. With my dual degree in French and Marketing from NMU, I was accepted to ESMOD - Paris, into a fashion marketing, merchandising, and communication program. If I hadn't pursued French at NMU, I never would have had the opportunity to study in Paris, one of the fashion capitals of the world.

French has always held a special place in my heart, having lived in Paris when I was very young. My mother is a language teacher so I feel that I have always been taught to value language and the opportunities that it can provide. I did a study abroad program between my sophomore and junior year at NMU - it was an intensive 3-month French program at IFALPES, located in Chambery.