Testimonials by Recent Graduates

What first sparked your interest in French language and culture, and how has that interest grown or changed during your time in the French department?
I was drawn to study the French language because of my French-Canadian family heritage. My mother was born in Montreal, Quebec, and her family is Acadian. I grew up visiting my French speaking family in New Brunswick, Canada every summer and had the strong desire to one day become fluent. Studying French at Rutgers has allowed me to proudly claim that I am bilingual!

What has been the most challenging aspect of learning French, and how have you worked to overcome it?
One challenging aspect of learning French is maintaining your skills outside of the classroom. I make sure to listen to music in French all the time and I don't hesitate to practice speaking with French speakers that I come across!

What are you most proud of accomplishing during your time in the French department?
I am most proud of the fact that I have developed my writing skills in French. To have written essays in multiple languages throughout my college career is a fantastic accomplishment that I am so proud of.

How has your experience in the French department influenced your career goals or future plans?
All of the professors that I have had in the French department have been immensely supportive of my academic goals and future plans. My initial career plans were to continue studying French at a graduate level, but my path has changed and I am excited to now be pursuing speech and language pathology. I love how the French department is excited for me to build upon my love of language.

What advice would you give to incoming students who are interested in studying French?
My advice to students who are interested in studying French would be to not give up when it gets difficult. French is a very difficult language with its pronunciation and spelling! However, it is so rewarding after a lot of practice and dedication to feel competent in another language.

Do you plan to continue studying French in the future, and if so, how do you hope to use your language skills?
I do not plan on studying French in a classroom setting, but I will be maintaining my language skills by continuing to speak with my family members and people I meet along the way.

How has studying French language and culture impacted your overall education and personal growth?
Majoring in French has been an incredible journey. When I tell people that I'm a French major, a lot of the time people think that all world language majors do is learn the language and study its grammar. But it is so, so, so much more! I have studied literature, history, philosophy, social justice, feminist theory, and more- all while mastering a second language!

What have been some of your favorite activities or events in the French department, and what did you enjoy about them?
I really enjoyed writing for La Petite Gazette. It is a unique opportunity to gain experience writing in a journalistic/blog post style that we typically don't write in for class. It is a good way to get extra practice writing in French, and it also is a fun chance to dive deep into a niche topic of interest.

What French novel, poem, or films have had the biggest impact on you, and why?
Among many other works that I read in 391, I really enjoyed reading La Tragédie du Roi Christophe by Aimé Césaire. I had never read Aimé Césaire before that point and it helped to contextualize my knowledge of the history of French colonization, Caribbean history, and post-colonialism.

What were some of your favorite courses?
My senior seminar, L'animalité, with Prof Allamand was incredible. It might sound like an exaggeration, but I feel like it changed my life! For my final, I wrote a 9 page paper on vegetarianism that encompassed everything I learned about how we as humans approach and conceptualize other animals. I also loved taking 218 with Prof Piroux. It was my first time reading works by Moliere, and I felt so accomplished after reading all the texts in that course.

What inspired you to pursue an honors thesis in the French department?
I wrote a thesis in French because I was writing a thesis for the History department that utilized French documents. Since I was already looking at line-by-line comparison for some of my project, it felt silly to not write a piece in French.

What aspects of French language, literature, or culture did you explore in your thesis that you found particularly interesting or engaging?
I wrote about pre-revolutionary French documents from 1789 called The Cahiers de Doléances and compared the topics within them to the topics within the Napoleonic Code. My ultimate theme was about the way civil society attempts to settle itself.

How did the process of researching and writing your thesis impact your overall experience at Rutgers?
Researching at Rutgers allowed me to finally sit on my own questions and feel like I was providing a point to be made in ongoing scholarship.

What skills or knowledge did you gain through the process of completing your honors thesis?
The thesis taught me to never stop questioning things. If we look at law documents at the surface, all they are is a set of laws. My thesis allowed me to challenge where documents come from. This view of society and what they allow themselves to take part in shapes nations.

What was the biggest challenge you faced while working on your honors thesis, and how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge was giving myself permission to just write. Even if it wasn't exactly what I wanted to be talking about, necessarily. Sometimes it is better to just get words on a page because that will direct you for if it's garbage or if it's something you should explore.

How did your thesis advisor or other members of the French department support you during your research and writing process?
My thesis advisor Professor Swenson trusted me, a student he's never had, to run with a topic that he, himself, thought was going nowhere. He was my second reader for my history version so Professor Swenson really immersed himself in my project which allowed the edits to our French version to go smoothly.

What advice would you give to other students who are considering pursuing an honors thesis in the French department?
Pick a topic that inspires you! If you pick something that you can't fully immerse yourself in, you won't finish. It should be the first thing you say when anyone asks you how your semester is going. It becomes a work that really is a part of you.

How has the experience of completing an honors thesis in the French department prepared you for your future academic or professional goals?
The French department thesis showed me that the COVID Zoom classes and the Canvas quizzes were worth it. This thesis was a full culmination of every grammar test and conjugation panic.

Looking back on your time in the French department, what are you most proud of achieving through your honors thesis?
I am proud of how, despite my thesis being apples and oranges, I stuck with it. Comparing these two documents was very bold, they are thought of historically as completely separate things. Because they are. But this thesis was the ultimate test of never giving up and never doubting myself.

What first sparked your interest in French language and culture, and how has that interest grown or changed during your time in the French department?
When I was 12 years old, I started learning French on my own, simply because I thought the language was beautiful. Once I started taking classes, I quickly fell in love with learning the language and expanding my knowledge of French culture. The French department at Rutgers has truly helped me broaden my depth of knowledge of French culture. Classes, like French Literature, have exposed me to well-known French authors I otherwise would not have studied.

What has been the most challenging aspect of learning French, and how have you worked to overcome it?
Developing fluency has been the most challenging aspect of learning French. When I first transferred to Rutgers and started taking French classes, I found it difficult at times to participate in class. I completed the Summer in Paris program and I can say with certainty that living in France for 6 weeks helped me develop fluency. Besides that experience, consistently taking French classes each semester helped me a lot. Classes are run in French, which means that professors only speak in French and students are expected to speak in French as well. This pressure definitely helped me and by the end of my college experience, I was able to comfortably participate in French during class.

What are you most proud of accomplishing during your time in the French department?
I successfully acquired an internship in New York City, working for a French nonprofit. This job has given me many connections to the French world, as I am constantly in contact with nonprofits in France! I would not have gotten this opportunity if it were not for my pursuing a double major in French. Writing for the French magazine, La P'tite Gazette, also helped!

How has your experience in the French department influenced your career goals or future plans?
The support I have received from the French department has always encouraged me to continue pursuing the language and going after my career goals. I always dreamed of working for a French nonprofit, which is exactly the position I am in now! I loved being a part of the French department because I loved immersing myself in French culture. Now, I have that same opportunity in a work environment.

What advice would you give to incoming students who are interested in studying French?
I would say to go for it if you are considering it. Any student who wishes to pursue another language in college is admirable. Studying French requires discipline and dedication, but it is all worth it when you are able to have a full conversation in French in the real world!

Do you plan to continue studying French in the future, and if so, how do you hope to use your language skills?
I would love to continue studying French, in order to achieve a higher level of fluency! I hope to more confidently use it at work, as I can get nervous speaking to native speakers. I hope to one day move to France, whether that is for work or with a program, like TAPIF. Hopefully, moving to France will bring me to the advanced level I wish to achieve!

How has studying French language and culture impacted your overall education and personal growth?
Pushing myself to continue studying a language has felt incredibly rewarding. There have been many times that I wished to quit and give up on learning French. Now, it makes me so happy to be able to read higher-level texts and understand French films.

What have been some of your favorite activities or events in the French department, and what did you enjoy about them?
There is a French club on campus called FACILE, which I have been a part of all year. Going to the French club gave me an opportunity to converse with students who had a similar interest in the language and immerse myself in French culture. It was a fun break from working strenuously on assignments. The French club also organized trips and cultural activities to NYC and Princeton. All of this fostered a strong sense of community in the French department and gave me the opportunity to make many friends!

What French novel, poem, or films have had the biggest impact on you, and why?
I had to read L'Étranger by Albert Camus for my Modern Literature in French class and thoroughly enjoyed it because of the different philosophy it opened my mind to. For my Francophilia class, I had to watch Portrait of a Lady on Fire. I think this film was incredibly well-done and accurately captures the female gaze. This film had a large impact on me because of the story it told and the influence it has had on my own understanding of myself.

What were some of your favorite courses?
I loved Advanced French I: Stories of Scandals and Mysteries (213) and Advanced French II: Writing Styles (214) because improving my French grammar greatly helped me in the rest of my French courses. Having a strong base in French grammar helped me write essays and understand texts.

Major(s) and Minor: Math, French, Medieval Studies

The best I can say is: umm, interviewers ask about French with interest and I think it’s helped me get most all of the jobs I’ve had.

That sort of thing bores me to tears, so instead let me talk about what studying French was like. In a word: joy.

To borrow Mme Pairet’s turn of phrase, French was my playground.

During class I got to …

spray-paint make a pop-up book of gnomes in lieu of a paper on the Hundred Years’ War 3-d print squirrels bake apple cake for a final video project have a witch week eat brownies while blindfolded submit midterm answers in (tacky) rhymed verse go outside to watch street breakdancing and, let it never be forgotten: beat Kristen at “un, deux, trois, soleil!”

Besides the hijinks, the Department’s “anything you like” attitude did let me do traditionally-constructive things.

I joined an early incarnation of language exchanges, and started to think “hmmm we could use math to match partners.” Poor Mme Shaw took my out-of-the-blue 8-page very-math-y email with enthusiasm. Charles and Faith were generous enough to join me, and together we created an online partner-matching system. We were allowed complete, heady freedom.

I could go on and on about the things I discovered (did you know that there was a medieval dialect of French written in Hebrew characters? of the embroiled imbrication of hagiographies and Halloween creatures? that Rimbaud and a Jewish anarchist poet from Chicago were separated by but one degree? anything of the history of the color blue? read Pastoureau!). You get to pick what you’re interested in and mold it to fit the class ... or the reverse.

What I hope to convey is: take French! Don’t be afraid by the fancy author names, or in thinking you can’t write. Some of the kindest, caring, most helpful professors are here, and they will teach you. And if you’re still undecided ...

Major and Minor: French, Nutritional Sciences

Writing an honors thesis is an incredible opportunity to learn more about a specific topic that you may be curious about. I chose to write my thesis on the decline of French dairy farms as a result of large corporation competition, lack of governmental protection, lack of interest in the field and, consumer behaviors. While participating in the Microbiology and Culture of Cheese and Wine course in Cluny through Rutgers I was able to visit multiple dairy farms and producers. I left the programming having a profound amount of respect for the family farms but wondered why their products were not the ones I saw when grocery shopping in France. Thanks to my participation in the honors thesis program I was able to not only understand how the dairy industry works in France, but how it can also be applied in the US. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be able to study under Madame Tamas and will now be able to include on my resume my honors achievement! I initially chose to study French cultural studies at Rutgers University because I did not want to lose what I already learned from High School. French was a new way for me to express myself and helped me to feel more attached to foreign cultures. After taking several courses and deciding on studying abroad during my sophomore year in Paris, I decided to major in French. The courses I have completed have allowed me to study many different areas of French from literature, to grammar, to business! The classes I took prior to my semester abroad prepared me to study alongside French students at La Sorbonne Nouvelle and truly put my language skills to the challenge. Without my professors and classes, I would not have been able to appreciate France as much as I did. Being able to travel abroad and speak with locals, and go shopping like a native is something everyone should experience. My other major is in nutritional sciences with a concentration in food service administration. I hope to work with Sodexo at an American company for the near future but eventually get matched with a Sodexo company in France and settle there. Getting a degree in French has opened more doors for me. It is important to remember that there is more to the world than the US, by studying another language you are allowing yourself to more opportunities abroad!

Artist & Documentary Filmmaker
Curatorial Intern, Department of Photography - MOMA
University College London, M.A. History of Art

Looking retrospectively at my undergraduate years, I am hard-pressed to think of a better decision than having chosen French as one of my majors. The Department is staffed by exceptionally understanding, generous, and brilliant scholars of myriad areas of expertise, ranging from history and literature, to theatre, fashion, and gender and sexuality.The Department championed my work as a student for the entirety of my three years at Rutgers, and allowed me to design a curriculum around my interests and strengths. By majoring in French, I was able to study in Paris for six months, where I discovered my passion for the world of art and art history. After taking courses in photography, art history, and documentary filmmaking--all in French--I was launched, unexpectedly, but wholeheartedly, into the museum world, and have since worked at such institutions as the Met and MoMA.Through various courses, programs, and extracurriculars, I expanded my circle of friends. Together, we braved exams, traveled extensively, and when we forgot how to conjugate one of any number of irregular verbs--this being French, after all-- we often did so together.Studying a language as widely-spoken as French, was not only useful for travel and making international friends that I keep up with to this day, but it forced me to keep an open mind, embrace challenges, and step out of my comfort zone. I leave this program with a newfound admiration for the French language and culture, and as I begin graduate school in London, I await my many visits to the city where it all began for me.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School / 7-year BA/MD Program

I started learning French in 6th grade and it was my favorite subject. I knew that I was nervous to continue it in college because I wasn't sure if I would be able to balance the workload with an intensive Cell Biology and Neuroscience major on the premed track but it was truly the best decision I made in my undergraduate career. My French classes were taught by brilliant professors who taught French to me in a way that was personal, entertaining, and never intimidating. My French literature classes were a welcome respite from my science classes because they taught me how to communicate effectively, write more conscientiously, and familiarize myself with another culture. Even in my neuroscience classes, I learned that multilingualism can yield many cognitive benefits that can impact your brain for the rest of your life! More practically, my French minor helped me to distinguish myself from other candidates in my interviews and personal statement for medical school. I was able to talk about how I used my French knowledge to communicate with a French-speaking patient as a volunteer in the Emergency Room at Robert Wood Johnson. I also used my French knowledge when I volunteered with a refugee resettlement organization to comfort a refugee mother from Malawi whose infant daughter just went through open heart surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital. My French classes taught me profound lessons about human emotion and cultural sensitivity that I was able to apply in the clinical setting and communicate to the admissions committee. The small class sizes allowed me to really get to know my professors as well, who also wrote me recommendation letters for medical school, and more importantly became some of my closest mentors. It is my pleasure to announce that I will be starting medical school a year early at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School where I know I will continue to apply the lessons I learned through pursuing French at Rutgers.

Bachelors in Science: Mechanical Engineering major, Astrophysics major, and French - Literary Studies major
Currently an astrophysics PhD candidate at Iowa State University.

When you decide to major in French at Rutgers, you embark on an incredible journey through past generations of French artists. The bigger your imagination, the more vividly the French culture invigorates you. I lived through these artists' pasts, and will see the world differently because of it. I feel like I have a more complete understanding of the world; something that is arguably lacking for majors in STEM disciplines. Even though, I find joy in studying physics, a major in the humanities strengthens that joy by increasing my capacity to get more out of life. I also feel much more open minded, considering not only the transition to Art from Science, but also studying among a very high female to male ratio. I would say that Jean Claude Eugene is the ideal example of the potential of a French speaking scientist, someone who is known for his "clarity of style sharp minded views and well performed experiments". I believe the fluency of the language is better for thinking. I am very glad I studied abroad in Paris over the summer. I visited as many different places as I could have, and I met a lot of unique people. The department was very helpful and made the experience very enjoyable! My interdisciplinary thesis was also very special for me, "La lumière émise par des amas globulaires détruits situés au centre galactique": Analyses et simulations scientifiques et poétiques", because I had a space to be as imaginative as I wanted without the constraints of traditional education. I feel part of a very special group of people that have connected the highly imaginative thoughts of poets with the logical constrained theories by physicists. Best of luck at Rutgers :)

currently TAPIF Assistante d'Anglais for the Académie de Strasbourg (Ribeauville)
French Minor/Political Science Major

During my undergraduate years at Rutgers University, I majored in Political Science and minored in French. My original motivation to minor in French was mostly to not lose all of the progress I had made in my high school language classes. Little did I know, my French Studies at Rutgers University would end up having a much bigger impact on my life. The various classes, events, and projects offered by the French Department have introduced me to the true impact of language and intercultural exchange and inspired in me a passion for taking part in the development of language programs in both the United States and abroad. One of the most interesting and fulfilling paths that French at Rutgers has introduced me to was TAPIF. TAPIF stands for Teaching Assistant Program in France and it is an organization that works under the French Department of Education, allowing native English speakers with French proficiency to work at public schools throughout France. Through TAPIF, I get to directly work in public education and participate in language and culture exchange with my students. Of course, it also gives me the chance to integrate in France's culture and language which is an entirely unique and exciting personal experience. It is one of the best opportunities I have had for professional growth and I am looking forward to bringing back everything I have learned to the United States and implementing it in my future graduate studies in Education Policy.

French & Political Science, B.A. May 2016
J.D. expected May, 2019
Georgetown University Law Center

Firstly, I am truly grateful for all the exposés that my French professors require in their classes. French does not come natural to me and to be confident or at least to fake confidence in order to present in another language is empowering...after it's over. I've realized that law is also a foreign language. It is fused with French, Latin and who knows what else but if I get 'cold called' as in if I am randomly asked to present to the class about a case and its legal jargon, I can do so and fake confidence. It is the numerous exposés and the amazing and supportive French professors that have gotten me where I am today.  Secondly, I also now appreciate the 92% being an A which is unlike other classes as it pushed me to always do my best and not submit mediocre work which in the legal world could get me fired or even disbarred.  Thirdly, writing a thesis in French or at least translating is such a feat that once you've completed it, grad school should be a breeze.  Lastly, I truly love and miss the entire French department-they've become a supportive family of which I'm extremely grateful.

Audrey Del Campo Roach
BA Psychology/ French, Rutgers Class of 2015
M.Div, Princeton Theological Seminary, expected 2019

Ever since 7th grade when my French teacher walked into the room and said "Bonjour!", I have been totally in love! The French language and culture are so beautiful. I knew that I had to make them an important part of my learning career, and Rutgers was the best place to do so. I majored in Psychology and minored in French studies and it was the best decision I ever made! The professors that make up the French Department at Rutgers are amazing. They are passionate about what they teach, which makes the learning experience so much better. Every class is different, the teaching is fresh, and the atmosphere provokes an excitement for learning. What I learned in the classroom not only from the professors, but from the other students as well really enhanced my development. The professors are there to see you succeed and really master the language as well as the culture, and I am so grateful to have been a part of that!

Double Major French & Linguistics: Graduated, January 2016
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Bulgaria, 2016-2017

I have a sort of insatiable curiosity about why things are the way they are, particularly with regard to language. The French faculty at Rutgers helped me to explore and expand this curiosity and were consistently supportive throughout my time there. Toward the end of my first year, I met Prof. Deprez, to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude. After joining her lab as an Aresty Undergraduate Research Assistant at the start of my sophomore year, I was able to engage with the French language in a totally new way. Research became an integral part of my French Linguistics and Linguistics double major. My dual-department senior capstone project was an investigation of the role of intonation and context in the interpretation of ambiguous negative expressions like “personne ne mange rien”. With the support of the French faculty, as well as generous grants from the French Embassy in the US and the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, I was able to go to France to collect the data for this project. My experiences as a student in the French classrooms at Rutgers have also helped me to feel more confident as I start this year as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Bulgaria, where I hope to infect my students with the same curiosity for language.