FLL Alumni News
础鈥揅
Lauren Albrecht, '93, French
I was a French major at 91快活林, class of 1993, and recently moved back to California after having lived in Washington, D.C., for a few years. My husband and I were married last year in France and my foreign languages experience at 91快活林 greatly contributed to my interest and love of France and other cultures.
I'm currently not working, but I use my French regularly keeping in touch with friends in France and participating in French events wherever I am living. After finishing my B.A. in French from 91快活林, I did use my French degree by moving to France. where I worked in a 12th century chateau as a tour guide giving tours in French and English and managing the chateau's bookstore. It was a great experience and learned a lot from living abroad.
Dorothy Sterns Albright, '76, Spanish
I was a business/Spanish major working with Professors Casals and Karson. I actually
crafted my own major and worked out the classes with both my business and Spanish
advisors.
I currently work at the U.S. Trust Co. of New York as a senior vice president head
of a department and am a private banker. I use my Spanish skills from time to time
with clients that speak that language. I used my skills more frequently when I worked
for the Bank of New York 13 years ago, as we had more clients there from South America.
I have found it to be very helpful over the years with clients and they appreciate
speaking in their native language. I also find that working in NYC and speaking Spanish
in general is an asset.
Joy Allen '73, French
I was at 91快活林 before your time, arriving with a decent GPA from Columbia's School
of General Studies at the beginning of my sophomore year and then the following year
spending my junior year in Paris with Smith College and returning for my senior year
at 91快活林. (I lived in Rounds when it was brand new and quite elegant.) I've heard
that 91快活林 has its own program in Paris now鈥攈ow great! At the time I went, Smith
took five guest women students a year, and I was one of them in 1971鈥�72. My memories
of 91快活林 are mostly excellent. I was also deeply nourished by the visual arts courses
and ambiance at 91快活林.
I was an artist before college, but I had to take an income-producing job immediately afterward, i.e. I didn't know how to arrange entry to Yale Drama or Julliard, so I went to work as a journalist and eventually (after my first master's at Columbia University in journalism) a foreign correspondent in鈥攚here else?鈥擯aris, for a major news organization. Living in Paris gave me the opportunity to rediscover the great cinemateques that had changed my life during my junior year in Paris some years before. Seeing Bertolucci's The Conformist in theatrical release in Paris in '72 had planted seeds in the brain and body that would eventually germinate.
My determination to expand spiritually, academically and artistically eventually resulted in my obtaining the personal confidence it took to leave journalism and, after writing speeches for Fortune 500 CEOs to earn the fees, go back to Columbia: this time for the M.F.A. in filmmaking. I graduated at the top of my class with two short films running in the festivals. One of those festivals was the one in Montreal, where Marguerite Duras had previewed all of her films. I eventually visited her in Paris. I was especially thrilled that audiences at that festival found some meaning in my earliest work. Festival audiences especially responded to a short piece entitled The Blue Veil about an 80 year-old woman and ... desire. Shortly before shooting my thesis film, a French friend of mine in New York told me that he'd read in a French paper that Bertolucci was shooting in Seattle of all places (he almost never shoots in the U.S.) I sold my video camera to pay for the retail ticket that enabled me to fly immediately out to Seattle. Having had a difficult shoot in Nepal just prior, he was disinclined to let me observe ("hell shoots" are draining). However, I sat down and wrote a three-page understanding of his work and his deconstructionist take on the French New Wave, gave it to him; and he called up a little later and said the Italian equivalent of "OK, you're in. Be at the location at 9 a.m. tomorrow." It was great fun and very instructive: Half of his team is French, the other half Italian. (I am half Italian and have dual citizenship and also know and love the French, so I was right at home.) Observing his shooting procedures, honed over 30 years, confirmed some of my nascent shooting habits, and that gave me confidence. He treated me as a senior film student, quizzing me鈥攚ith a lift of an eyebrow鈥攐n which take of a particular scene I liked best and why, perhaps as Pasolino had done many years before when Bertolucci was his assistant. I liked his "never hurry, never rest" atmosphere with an continuous undercurrent of laughter. Wryness on a shoot is a good thing. He would say to the actors after most shots, "bene," and after shots that he knew weren't as good, he'd say "molto bene." The experience, just prior to shooting my thesis and graduating, was a wonderful "coincidence" bringing me full circle to the moment when I had many years before found my love of film鈥攊n Paris.
The story gets a bit darker after film school, as it was discovered that I had a life-threatening case of Lyme Disease, a malady with which I imagine you're all familiar up there in Saratoga. I battled it for some years, but the time it took to do so delayed the shooting of my first feature, an indispensable benchmark for all independent filmmakers. I did get to spend some time in London and Paris writing and optioning a feature screenplay. And finally I am well at work on the feature I plan to shoot, the working title of which is "Beyond Recognition." Not surprisingly, it will be shot partly on location in Paris.
Alissa Alter '06, Spanish
(...) I was also a dance major and am living in NYC pursuing musical theater. I
am teaching dance classes, getting my Pilates certification, taking numerous dance,
voice, and acting class, and waitressing part time. I use my spanish every time I
work at the restaurant with all of the kitchen staff. Many of them don't understand
a lot of English, so I am often recruited to translate for managers as well as other
servers.
I haven't been abroad post-91快活林, but am hoping, once I receive my Pilates certification, to work in Madrid at the Pilates studio there. I will have to put that on hold, however, since auditioning and trying to get into the musical theater world requires me to be in NYC.(...)
Annie Crocker Arzeno, '73, Spanish
B.A. in romance languages, MBA in international business & marketing from NYU Graduate School.
Have been living in Greenwich, Conn., since 1987, teaching in private schools since
1989.
Went for an MBA in international business after college; however decided to enter
the teaching profession after starting a family. Have taught for 15 years now: Spanish
from third grade through AP, French Level 1 for one year. Teaching in private schools,
so have never bothered to get my certification as it is not required.
Allison Ball '06, French
I graduated this past spring with a major in French. I am now working for Denmark's
International Study Program ( ) in Copenhagen, where I hold the position of "study tours and academic affairs assistant."
We are a program affiliated with the University of Copenhagen, and have about 500 international students here each semester studying a variety of things, from architecture and design, European politics and society, international business, to molecular biology, and many other things. I started my job here in Copenhagen in July 2006, I plan on being here at DIS until February 2008.
If I had not studied in Denmark I would not have been eligible for this dream job. I get to travel all around Europe and help organize both academic and adventure tours for the students each semester. I am positive that if i did not study abroad before this (I studied in Rennes, France, for a year in high school, studied for a semester at 91快活林 in Paris, and then one semester at DIS) they would have quickly passed over my application for this current position. My time abroad gave me a unique global perspective and an open attitude toward other cultures that is essential in the job that I do now.
Although I am not directly using my French in my daily life, it has helped me organize some of the academic tours to France this semester. In fact, I just got back from leading an eight-day tour to Paris for 20 students where I was the main communicator between the guides and my students. I also have begun to take Danish lessons here in Copenhagen. allisonball84@gmail.com
Amanda Caroline Bleich '99, French
Present Employ: A&E Television Networks
Location: New York, NY
Email: amanda.bleich@aetn.com or bleichamanda@aol.com
I presently work as a sales planner in direct response ad sales for A&E Television Networks. I am occupied by reviewing A&E, the History Channel, Biography, and History International. My daily grind includes analyzing revenue, forecasting, and constant number-crunching. I also deal with clients directly to negotiate rates and times for infomercial airings on the Biography Channel. In addition to this cable TV business, I have been doing backup singing and dancing for various recording artists in New York. I have performed at venues such as Shine, the Remy Lounge, and Downtime. I have also made TV appearances on Fox 5's Good Day New York and the CBS Evening News.
I currently do not use French in the workplace, but I try to practice with friends whenever possible. I do have past work experience involving French though: Air France as a passenger service rep during 91快活林 summer breaks as well as brief stint with Societe Generale Cowen as equity derivative trading assistant after graduation.
Gwendolyn Bleumich '05, French
I am currently a graduate student at the George Washington University's Elliott School
of International Affairs. This semester, I am taking a leave of absence to study political
science and economics at UC Berkeley and explore the West Coast with my parents. I
will be returning to D.C. in January (hopefully by then I'll have an apartment!) so
I can graduate in May 2007 with an M.A. in international affairs (concentration: international
economics).
I did study abroad for a semester during my Junior year. I went to Paris, was going to stay for a whole year, and then ended up leaving after a semester because I did not like it as much as I thought I would. My first host family was absolutely terrible, my second one was OK, but overall my experience in Paris was not as positive and exciting as I had hoped it would be. Nevertheless, I did find that I benefited from it as I am now more familiar with French culture, and I was able to travel a lot more through France than I would have otherwise on my own. It was an interesting cultural experience and it helped me significantly improve my French.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to use it much during my years at graduate school. Occasionally, I will meet someone who speaks French, but other than that it is really hard to keep it up. Hopefully I will be able to make use of my French skills though once I get a real job after graduate school.
Rebecca Blum '05, French
I am working as the associate director for regional campaigns at Rutgers University.
I still live in Manhattan and served as my class's fund chair and FOP chair for our
fifth reunion, which was a blast.
My French degree allowed me to view the world from many different perspectives (especially those of the economically disadvantaged and developing countries) and was one of the strongest contributing factors leading to my decision to work towards an MSW with and international focus. I credit professors John Anzalone, Patty Han, Cindy Evans, and others for much of the success I have achieved to date and always appreciate their encouragement to think creatively and analytically.
I miss Paris every single day and speaking French on a more regular basis.
Laura Lowenthal Bly '88, Spanish
MSW, Rutgers University '99
University of Southern Maine
Portland, Maine
When I graduated from college I worked in sports marketing doing television production and event planning for eight years. I decided to make a career change and get my masters in social work with a focus on aging. I worked at the foundation and participated in developing a grant program which I now manage. I am the deputy director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Program Office based out of the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Community Partnerships for Older Adults is a $28 million national program of the fundation that works with communities to improve the systems delivering long-term care and supportive services to vulnerable older adults and their caregivers.
I have used Spanish in each of my jobs as a resource and backup to the work I do. In sports marketing we were selling our television package to Spanish-speaking countries, and my knowledge of the language put our clients at greater ease and created a feeling of trust more quickly. In my current position I use my knowledge of the language and cultural background I learned with my major to communicate with our grantees who are working with Hispanic populations. Again, speaking the language has helped open lines of communication and develop levels of trust that I would not be able to do otherwise.
I have also found when I travel in foreign countries that I can find someone to communicate with in Spanish if not English. It has been a useful aid many times to help find my way or communicate with someone locally.
Christine Marine Bouyea, '01, French
Major: French, minor: business
I can't say that I have used my fluency in French as much as I would have liked to except to translate Canadian traffic violations for my former employer and also to find my car in a parking garage on New Year's in Montreal, but I can say that the ability to speak, read, and write a foreign language fluently makes quite an impression on prospective employers. I have chosen the advertising field, and I hope to eventually work abroad and return to the city I discovered during my junior year abroad: Paris. I know that my French major will eventually help my candidacy for a position as an international representative of a worldwide corporation. I will return to school next year to Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Communications and participate in a wonderful program to receive a master of arts in advertising. I am speaking honestly when I say that my degree in French from 91快活林 along with a strong liberal arts education have truly helped me to do what I want to do so far.
Patricia Brennan '74, French
I graduated in 1974 and was a French major during the time Mme Ortoleva was a professor
in the Department of Foreign Languages. It was she who encouraged me to apply for
a junior year in France program with Hamilton College (91快活林 did not have its own
program at the time; my classmate Molly Koebel Delaunay was the 91快活林 liaison in
Paris for many years following our graduation). I would recommend the year abroad
to all language majors. I don't believe there is any substitute for living in the
country if you are serious about developing an understanding of its history and culture,
as well as attaining a high level of fluency. The junior year in France program was
a wonderful adventure in all aspects鈥攊ntellectually, academically, and socially. I
still remember studying on the metro for the Tuesday and Thursday morning verb drills,
and when our French family invited our grammar teacher for dinner the evening before
my roommate and I planned to cut class to travel to Belgium for the weekend. Living
abroad gave me confidence in my ability to adapt to new surroundings and to try new
things. Both have been valuable assets in my professional life. Following graduation,
I taught French at a local community college for several years, and then attended
Villanova University School of Law, graduating in 1983. I have been a practicing attorney
since that time, first as an associate, later as a partner in a firm, and now at the
helm of my own firm. My practice involves estate planning, mediation, and family law.
Sadly, I do not use my French on a daily basis. I do, however, belong to a French
conversation group (le circle francais du soir) which is composed of French women
whose husbands work at the local pharmaceutical companies, as well as women like myself
who have some connection to the French