French Progam and alumnus Sean Gaynor

Deciding to enroll as a student at Adelphi University was one of the most beneficial and fulfilling decisions I have ever made both personally and professionally. After taking a few French courses during my first few semesters, I decided to become a French major, and as my desire to learn about French language and culture grew, so did my commitment to exploring new opportunities within Adelphi's department of languages, literatures, and cultures. Dr. Rudolph, Dr. Wadhera, and Dr. Amador all encouraged me to reach for heights I never before dreamed myself capable of attaining, and in my senior year they entrusted me with being the department's French tutor, which has since proven to be an experience of incalculable value. In Autumn 2016, a few months after I graduated, I was presented with the opportunity to apply everything I had learned over the past four years to a new undertaking. I was selected to work during the 2016-2017 school year as an English teaching assistant in a few elementary schools in a small town located an hour north of Paris. Without exaggerating in the slightest, I can attest that the overall experience of living and working in France was one of the most priceless experiences of my life. The best part was making a difference in the lives of the students I worked with by bridging our cultures just as my professors had done for me. This year I decided to return to France as an au pair to continue working with children, to sharpen my French skills, and hopefully to show more people the joy of learning a new language