Walking along the Seine in Paris. (Photo: John Perney)
The FACC Scholarship Program
The French-American Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Chapter, believes that college and university students in business studies and French language studies provide the foundation for the future growth of French-American business relations.
The purpose of the FACC scholarship program is to assist college and university students in Michigan who study business or business related courses and French language studies and who plan to combine French and business in their future career plans. Their scholarships range from $1,500 and up, based on merit, need, and the career goals of the student. Read more about the FACC scholarship program.
“What can I do with a French degree? Teach?”
This is what often comes to mind when thinking about how useful learning French is for your career.
At Albion College some of our majors have gone on to be teachers in high school, at the International Academy in Bloomfield Hills for example, or at the university level, such as at Minnesota State University. But most of our majors and minors have done other things. And they are wide-ranging: Some majors, after studying French, have worked at a Club Med, at a youth hostel, and went on to law school to study equine law.
Most of our majors and minors combine the study of language and culture with other fields they have worked in, and have pursured career opportunities in the following areas:
Fulbright in teaching in Rwanda
Small business owner (bakery, online clothing store)
Women’s shelter
Teaching Assistant Program in France, sponsored by the French government
Teaching English (in Japan, Korea, France)
French tutor and physical therapist
Travel agent
French Consumer Service for Proctor and Gamble
US Immigration Services
Au pair (France, Luxembourg)
International recruiter in college admissions
Internship at Office of UN Political Affairs of the Bureau of International Organizations
Health and Government Sector Assistant at the DAI in Washington, D.C.
Texas Campaign for the Environment
Law School (equestrian, international, corporate, government)
Tom Dukes, '13, spent six months in Germany, mainly in Dresden and Tübingen.
Fluency in more than one language and understanding other cultures are essential skills for living and working in our increasingly internationalized world. Students pursuing French, German, Japanese and Spanish at Albion College will discover how people in other parts of the world think and express their ideas and beliefs, all while practicing and mastering their language of study through a number of ways.
First-, Second-, and Third-Year Courses
Besides introducing students to culture, all of the department's language courses emphasize the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Incorporated into classes are culturally authentic videos, films, radio programs and Internet sites, as well as music from foreign countries.
Outside the classroom, Native Speaker Teaching Assistants and advanced language students assist small groups of students in tutorials once a week. Language students also meet once each week for lunch with faculty, teaching assistants, native speakers and other students to practice their language skills in a more relaxed setting. Classroom study is further supplemented with language CDs that can be used in any campus computer lab or your dorm room.
Upper-Level Courses
Cultural, historical, literary and filmic texts are the focus of the department's upper-level courses, which are all taught in the target languages and which are designed to increase your awareness and understanding of different world views, arts and traditions. In this process, you will also gain a richer understanding of yourself and your own culture.
Additional Opportunities
Katie Stephens, '12, studied off-campus for a year in Argentina.
As a language major or minor at Albion College, you are required to live in the I-Space, our international language living and learning area, located in Fiske House, for at least one semester. Native Speaker Teaching Assistants help students learn more about the culture of their country, while also helping students refine their conversational skills in a residential setting. Students pledge to speak the intended language within their living quarters.
Kids at Hope program, which meets weekly at the First United Methodist Church in Albion, helps language majors spread their own enjoyment of language learning to a younger generation by volunteering their time to teach Albion area grade-school children French and Spanish.
All Modern Language majors and minors are strongly encouraged to participate in one of several approved off-campus programs.
Please see our Faculty and Staff page for contact information for each of the professors, who will be glad to answer questions you may have about our program.
Catalina Perez Abreu Assistant Professor (Spanish) B.A., 2000, M.A., 2002, University of New Mexico Ph.D., 2009, University of Notre Dame.
Scholarly/Research Interests: Latin American within the United States, the historical and cultural relationships that exist between the Latin American, Spanish, and Latino literatures. She examines these disciplines in light of the transnational studies, immigration, exile, transculturation, and women and ethnic studies.
B.A., 1997, Ph.D. University of California at Davis.
Appointed 2006.
Catherine Grimm Assistant Professor of German
M.A., 1992, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Ph.D., 1998, Northwestern University.
Appointed 2003.
Rebecca Whitehead-Schwarz Assistant Professor of Spanish
Research interestes include 20th- and 21st-century Latin American narrative, Women's and Gender Studies with a focus on the female body, and Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay) literatures and cultures.
Hi, I am Catherine the German TA for the coming year.
In Germany I live in a small village in the Saarland (next to the French boarder) that is located about 150 miles from Frankfurt am Main. I study at the University of the Saarland, in Saarbrücken which is also the capital of the Saarland. My majors are French, English and educational sciences, in order to become a teacher.
I will be working with the German 101, 201 and 301 classes this year. Unfortunately I cannot give all of the 101 tutorials that is why we have two more tutors -Clara Etzel and Christine Grahl- each of whom will be responsible for one 101 tutorial. The weekly cultural activity will take place every Wednesday evening from 7-8 pm in Whitehouse. The language table is also going to be on Wednesdays from noon to 1pm in upper Baldwin. Everyone who is interested in German language and culture is hereby sincerely invited to both!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I wish you all the best for the school year!!!
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Ich bin Catherine und die deutsche TA für das kommende Jahr.
Ich komme aus einem kleinen Dorf im Saarland, (direkt neben der französischen Grenze) das ungefähr 200 km von Frankfurt am Main entfernt ist. Ich studiere an der Universität des Saarlandes, in Saarbrücken, der Hauptstadt des Saarlandes. Meine Fächer sind Französisch, Englisch und Erziehungswissenschaften auf Lehramt für Gymnasien und Gesamtschulen.
Dieses Jahr werde ich die 101, 201 und 301 Tutorien machen. Doch leider kann ich nicht alle 101 Tutorien übernehmen, deswegen bekomme ich Hilfe von Clara Etzel und Christine Grahl, die jeweils ein 101 Tutorium leiten werden. Unsere wöchentliche kulturelle Aktivität findet jeweils Mittwoch abends von 19-20 Uhr im Whitehouse statt. Der Sprachtisch ist auch Mittwochs von 12-13 Uhr in Upper Baldwin. Also wenn ihr Interesse an der deutschen Sprache und/oder Kultur habt, seid ihr zu beidem herzlichst eingeladen!!!
Falls ihr irgendwelche Fragen an mich habt, könnt ihr mir gerne eine Email schreiben ().
Noch Fragen???!!!
Ich wünsche euch alles gute für das kommende College- Jahr!
Liebe Grüße, Catherine
Hello, my name is Fanny Aponte, I am from Peru, and I am at Albion College in order to be one of the Spanish TAs. Because I am very happy to share this experience here with you, I want to tell you some things about myself.
One of my favorite's hobbies is to dance. I most enjoy doing the "Marinera Norteña". Its origin is from Northern Peru but is very popular throughout my country. Its couple's dance and handkerchiefs are normally used as props.
In addition, I love to eat fruit, especially "Chirimoya" (Annona cherimolia), since it is sweet and soft. What I miss most about home is my dog "Gasparin". I hope we can meet each other and have a great academic year!
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Hola mi nombre es Fanny Aponte, yo soy de Perú y estoy en Albion College para ser uno de los TAs en Español. Yo estoy muy contenta de compartir esta experiencia con ustedes. Por ello, quiero contarles algo sobre mí.
Uno de mis pasatiempos favoritos, es bailar "Marinera Norteña". Es una daza típica del Norte del Perú.
También me encanta comer fruta, y una de mis favoritas es la "Chirimoya" (Annona cherimolia), porque es dulce y suave. Una de las cosas que más extraño de casa, es a mi perro. Su nombre es "Gasparin". Por último, espero nos llevemos bien y podamos, así, aprender uno del otro!
Fanny
Hi! My name is Paul Vargas and I am one of the Spanish Teacher Assistants for this year. I am from the state of Colima, Mexico. I have just graduated from the Faculty of Foreign languages of the University of Colima. I am interested in learning other languages, but above all on fomenting the study of Spanish as a native or second language.
In Albion I am in charge of the tutorials of Spanish 301, likewise I will be participating in the language tables and the weekly activities of the Whitehouse that will take place in the I-space. I am living on the third floor of the Whitehouse, room number 325. My e-mail address is you can write me there or stop by my room so we can chat and have some fun.
I am interested in Anime, I like series like Chobits, Samurai X, Evangelion, Basilisk etc…I also like to listen to music. My favorite band is Nirvana, but I also listen to Rap, rock, and bands as Portishead and electronic music. I like the park and outdoor sports. I have been vegetarian for two years now.
Well, you know a little bit about me, if you want to know more or have any questions about Mexico, any doubt about Spanish, or just want to chat, you have my info so you can contact me.
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¡Hola! Me llamo Paul Vargas y soy uno de los asistentes de maestro de español de este año. Soy de México, del estado de Colima. Acabo de graduarme de la Facultad de Lenguas de la Universidad de Colima. Me interesa aprender otras lenguas, pero sobre todo fomentar el estudio del español tanto como lengua nativa como segunda lengua.
En Albion estoy a cargo de las tutorías de español 301, de igual manera estaré participando en las mesas de conversación y en las actividades semanales que se llevaran a cabo en el espacio internacional de Whithehouse. Estoy viviendo en el tercer piso de Whitehouse cuarto número 325. Mi dirección de correo electrónico es pueden escribirme o visitarme para conversar y pasar un buen rato.
Dentro de mis intereses personales se encuentra el Anime, me gusta mucho las series como Chobits, Samurai X, Evangelion, Basilisk etc… me gusta mucho escuchar música. Mi grupo favorito es Nirvana, pero también escucho un poco de Rap, rock, bandas como Portishead y música electrónica. Me gusta Le Parkour y los deportes al aire libre. Soy vegetariano desde hace dos años.
Bueno, ya saben un poco sobre mí, si quieren saber más o tienen pregunta sobre México, alguna duda sobre español o simplemente quieren platicar ya tienen mis datos donde encontrarme.
Paul
Hello everyone,
I'm Thomas Boykin, a new TA this year and I hope I will meet as many students as possible. I will describe myself in a few lines to give you an overview of my personality. I come from a small town, Bailly, located in the western suburbs of Paris. Bailly is in partnership with Albion, that is the reason of my coming to the United States. I am 24 years old and I practice club soccer.
I've finished my studies and I have a bachelor's degree in communication. I would like finding a job in an advertising agency here in the U.S.
My favorite movies are American History X and Fight Club. My favorite actor is Edward Norton.
I listen to a lot of rock like Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, U2, The Doors, and The Beatles. I also like drum and bass and jazz. My favorite foods are crepes, chacuterie and croissants.
I enjoy traveling, parties, but also meeting more people from different backgrounds. I've lived for 4 months in Madrid in an apartment with 23 roommates from different countries such as Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, United States, Chile, and so on. I hope this short description will give you the desire to know me more. I hope I have a pleasant stay in your company this year
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Bonjour tout le monde,
Je suis le nouveau TA de cette annee et j espere rencontrer le plus d etudiants possible. Pour se faire je vais me decrire en quelques lignes afin de vous donner un apercu de ma personnalite. Je viens d une petite ville, Bailly, qui se trouve dans la banlieue ouest de Paris. Bailly est en partenariat avec Albion, c est la raison de ma venue aux Etats-Unis. J ai 24 ans et je pratique le soccer en club.
J ai termine mes etudes, j ai un bachelor en communication et j aimerai trouver un travail dans une agence de publicite ici aux US. Mes film preferes sont American History X et Fight Club. Mon acteur prefere est Edward Norton.
J ecoute beaucoup de rock comme Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, U2, The Doors, the Beatles. J aime aussi la Drum and Bass et le jazz.
Mes plats prefere sont les crepes, la chacuterie et les croissants. J aime beaucoup voyager, faire la fete, mais surtout rencontrer le maximum de personnes venant de divers horizons. J ai vecu pendant 4 mois a Madrid dans un appartement avec 23 colocataire venant de pays different comme la Suede, l Italie, l Irlande, le Mexique, Les Etats-Unis, le Chili......
J espere que cette breve description vous donnera envie de me connaitre d avantage. J espere passer un bon sejour en votre compagnie cette annee.
Albion College is an undergraduate, liberal arts institution committed to academic excellence. We are learning-centered and recognize that valuable learning takes place in and outside the classroom, on and off campus. We prepare students to translate critical thought into action.
Catalina Perez Abreu
Takami Mohri
Julia Medina
Catherine Grimm
Rebecca Whitehead-Schwarz
