“It’s been my dream to speak French since I was about 10 years old, so I was relatively sure I wanted to pursue further studies when I came to college. What I’ve learned in the French program has been a great deal more than just the language however; it’s really changed who I am and shaped how I see the world. I had the chance to study abroad in Lyon, France during the fall of my junior year and then was also able to do research in Paris this past summer for my senior thesis. Spending time in France was a crystallizing and important step; it felt like the fulfillment of everything I worked toward in 8 years of studying French in class. France made me fall in love with art, poetry, film and literature, and instilled in me the passion to continue pursuing these interests at William and Mary. Someday, I hope to pursue graduate studies in French literature and art. For my senior thesis, I looked at the aesthetic connections between music and poetry, through a comparison of several poems by the nineteenth century poet, Paul Verlaine, and their accompanying song settings by the composer, Claude Debussy.
I have been consistently exhilarated by my coursework and stimulated by the impressive and insightful contributions of my peers. I am so thankful for the brilliant and supportive faculty in the French department. Next year, I will be in Bordeaux, France, working as an English teaching assistant in an elementary school.”
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