Bonjour and Salutations! I am a Subject Tutor in French with InGenius Prep, based in Southern California. I completed my Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature with a minor in Anthropology at the University of Washington in Seattle. During my Bachelor’s, I participated in a year-long fully integrated study abroad program at the University of Montpellier III – Paul Valéry in Montpellier France, where I was able to immerse myself in culture, language, and academics. After completing my BA, I returned to France to participate in a TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program in France) through the CIEP and Campus France. Since that time, I have completed a Master of Arts in French and Francophone Studies at San Diego State University and I am currently a French lecturer with California State University. I’ve received several teaching certifications including Teaching French for Business certified through the French Chamber of Commerce Ile-de-France and Evidence-Based Teaching and Inclusion techniques through the Center for Teaching and Learning at San Diego State University.
My teaching philosophy centers on active engagement and inclusion pedagogy. For today’s students, it is essential to learn adaptive strategies and real-world practical skills and habits. My goal is to mentor students to become empowered language practitioners through self-reflection and self-identification. I follow an adage by John Biggs in regards to his theory of Constructive Alignment, “Good teaching is… the purposeful structuring of experiences from which students cannot escape learning” (1999). In a sixty-minute French-language class, I choreograph activities for students to interpret, improvise, and present the lessons as they understand them, becoming stronger in language and flexing their learning muscles. These adapted lessons encourage student awareness and confidence conversing, expressing, and understanding of French language and culture through an inescapable accumulation of experiences.
Outside of the classroom, I promote creative spaces where students are able to get familiar with the benefits of using French as a professional asset. For example, I was working with the Cultural Embassy of France in Los Angeles to organize, facilitate, host, and mediate a French Language Conference and Job Fair where students were presented with professional opportunities and internships at French and French-speaking companies.
In my free time, I enjoy producing podcasts, doing Pilates, and practicing circus arts like juggling, stilt-walking, and trapeze. I’m a nerd about film festivals and independent cinema. Above all, I love a good book and new challenges. You’ll often find me taking long walks and listening to audiobooks and French podcasts.
