"I'm so glad I majored in French. The classes were great and I love being bilingual. If you can, take more than one language."
Major(s) and Certificate(s): Journalism and Mass Communications, French, and Digital Studies
Language(s): French
Graduation Year: 2015
Current location: New York, NY
What have you done since graduating from UW-Madison?
Currently, I’m interning at BuzzFeed! I’ve also been the graphic designer and social media coordinator for The Nitty Gritty.
What motivated you to study this/these languages?
My last name is a very popular French first name, so I decided to take French when I was 12. I continued it throughout college!
How have these languages enriched your life?
It’s amazing to know not only about French culture, but about other Francophone countries. Two of my favorite French classes were the history ones! I looooove history and French history was amazing to learn about in French.
What do you remember about your UW language classes? How were they different from other classes you took?
The classes were smaller and they were super interactive! I actually enjoyed going to French class.
How valuable were your out-of-classroom experiences?
Studying abroad was the best part of college! I loved being able to live in Paris and explore while using my French. My senior year, I was actually the intern at The Language Institute, so it was fun to learn a lot more about other languages and get students excited about learning languages.
How have you maintained or improved your language(s) since graduation?
I’ve lost a bit of it, but at BuzzFeed/in NYC, I’ve gotten to hear French so much more often! I’ve even got to respond to emails in French, so that’s been exciting. I try to do easy things to keep up with my French- like listening to Disney songs in French at work or watching movies in French.
What advice do you have for current language students?
KEEP GOING! If you can major or minor it, go for it!!! I’m so glad I majored in French. The classes were great and I love being bilingual. If you can, take more than one language. I now live in one of the most highly populated Spanish-speaking neighborhoods in the US, and I wish I knew Spanish!
What is your favorite word or phrase in a language you know?
ça en vaut la peine (it’s worth it)