/news-archive/tag/french/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Tue, 13 Aug 2019 15:51:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2019/08/13/emily-fendley-teaching-assistant/ Tue, 13 Aug 2019 15:51:10 +0000 /news/?p=74869 ... Recent grad lands international teaching position in France]]> A recent graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been accepted into a prestigious international teaching program and will spend the next year gaining valuable professional experience teaching in France.听 Emily Fendley, a Monticello native, graduated from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in May with a double major in French and anthropology and a minor in nonprofit leadership studies. After spending her senior year studying abroad at the Universit茅 d’Orl茅ans in Orl茅ans, France, Fendley decided to put her new language and cultural skills to work through the . Each year, more than 1,500 American citizens and permanent residents teach English to French students in elementary and secondary schools across France and the overseas departments of French such as Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and R茅union. 鈥�I am looking forward to continuing living in France. I鈥檝e never had an in-classroom experience teaching, but I was a conversation teacher at the university this past year,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t will be a learning and growing experience for me. I think of this as a challenge I want to step up to.鈥� Fendley will spend Oct. 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020, teaching in Laval, a town in western France. Her duties will include serving as a resource person in conversation groups, providing small group tutorials, facilitating English-language clubs, and giving talks related to American studies. In return, Fendley will receive a stipend and health insurance, but she鈥檚 most excited about the opportunity to learn more about the French language and culture. 鈥�I鈥檓 excited to live in the north of France and learn about the region,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven though France is smaller than Texas, you wouldn鈥檛 know it by how different the regions are.鈥� Fendley鈥檚 love of the French language started in high school while taking a language class in the ninth grade. Her interest rekindled at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and grew into a second major. 鈥淚 had to take a foreign language in high school, and the only choices were Spanish and French. I wanted to be different so I took French for one semester,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, I decided to take French again, and I really enjoyed the classes and was picking up the language well. Eventually, the department asked me if I wanted to major in French as well, and the more I learned, the more I enjoyed the language.鈥� While at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Fendley was active in student life, serving as president of both the Anthropology Club and the Nonprofit Student Leadership Association. She credits her 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock professors for giving her invaluable advice and guidance for the future. 鈥淎ll of my professors were amazing,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know how many times I sat in their office and asked them for advice on my future and my degree program.鈥� Professors like Dr. Zachary Hagins say that Fendley鈥檚 success is all down to her hard work and tenacious spirit. “Emily has taken advantage of the wealth of opportunities available for students studying French at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, and she exemplifies the benefits of language immersion through study abroad,鈥� Hagins said. 鈥淭he first time I had Emily in class, she had just finished Intermediate French and was still like most students at that level: a bit timid in her speaking abilities. Then, she participated in our five-week, faculty-led Summer Language Program in France. Upon her return, her language skills had improved, but more importantly, her confidence in speaking French had skyrocketed. Given her summer experience in France, I was not surprised when she decided to return to France for a full academic year, taking advantage of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock’s consortium agreement with the Universit茅 d’Orl茅ans. The reports we have received from her professors in France reflect what we already knew: Emily is hard-working, dynamic, and very motivated. I am certain that we will continue to hear about great achievements from her in the future!” As for her future after the completion of the teaching program, Fendley sees many possibilities. She wants to continue to travel and work internationally at nonprofit organizations and go to graduate school.听 鈥淪ince I studied three different areas at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, there are a lot of different graduate school programs I could go into. Choosing is the hardest part,鈥� Fendley said. Alumni of the Teaching Assistant Program in France often pursue global careers in education, international business, public health, international policy and development, and arts and culture administration, as well as are regularly recruited by top graduate schools who value language proficiency and intercultural competency, according to the program鈥檚 website.听]]> /news-archive/2018/05/07/ua-little-rock-student-travels-globe-aid-fight-human-rights/ Mon, 07 May 2018 20:29:09 +0000 /news/?p=70450 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student travels the globe to aid in fight for human rights]]> Graduating student Andrea Elias couldn鈥檛 have imagined having a better experience at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. While pursuing her passion to help others, she encountered one-of-a-kind professors, met friends who became family, and traveled to Asia, Africa, and Europe, meeting new people and making unforgettable memories. During her time at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Elias, a native of Leon, Mexico, learned about the plight of vulnerable groups throughout the world, and through the study abroad program and other campus organizations, she was able to visit and work with a number of groups whose basic human rights had been abused. 鈥淎ndrea has taken advantage of multiple opportunities to learn more about the world and to get involved,鈥� said Joseph Giammo, associate professor of political science and international studies. 鈥淪he volunteered at a school for refugee children in Thailand, helped to create a Spanish-language program for Women and Children First, a local non-profit she interned with that helps victims of domestic abuse, and volunteered over spring break with two groups in Houston that help victims of human trafficking.鈥� Elias also traveled to Morocco for a Model Arab League conference and served as a tutor for French students learning Spanish during her study abroad stay at the University of France. Elias has enjoyed actively preparing herself for an employer that matches her love for people. She wants to continue to work toward helping to protect and guarantee the human rights and freedom of the underprivileged and disadvantaged. 听 鈥淢odern day slavery continues to exist today, and it needs to be eradicated,鈥� she said. To assist in the fight to make this happen, Elias has been adamant about obtaining an exceptional education. She understands that it is a personal investment in herself, her future, and others. This is what drove her to persevere despite the long nights, little sleep, and loads of caffeine. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 easy, nor was it cheap, but it will all be worth it,鈥� she said. Elias鈥� biggest supporters, her mom, dad, step-dad, and sister, have encouraged her throughout her entire educational journey. In addition, she had professors who saw and nurtured her potential. 听 鈥淚 cannot express my gratitude enough toward my professors and the faculty who truly invested in me,鈥� Elias said. 鈥淚 am so thankful for Drs. Rebecca Glazier, Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, Joseph Giammo, Zachary Hagins, Avinash Thombre, Brian Mitchell, professor Rosalie Cheatham, Emily Bell, Larry Rhodes, and so many others.鈥� Throughout her journey, Elias met extraordinary people, but none compared to those who became her second family. After joining the Genesis Ministry and Chi Alpha campus ministry, Elias found a home away from home and established friendships unlike any she鈥檇 ever experienced. 鈥淭hese people have made an incredible impact on my life,鈥� Elias said. 鈥淚 enjoyed all of the game nights, retreats, and study nights, but what I enjoyed most was gaining long-lasting friendships. I got to be in my friends鈥� weddings, travel around the country, and go to Asia with this group, where we grew and matured, got to help others, and shared the love that God gave us.鈥� On May 12, Elias will graduate from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock with two bachelor鈥檚 degrees in international studies and French. 鈥淟ooking back, I never thought this season would be anything like it was,鈥� she said. 鈥淏esides much growth and knowledge, it was one of such sweet memories.鈥� Following graduation, Elias plans to take life one step at a time. Her future goals are to learn two more languages and later, pursue a master鈥檚 degree. 鈥淭hrough my university experience, I now know what I am capable of,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t has been one incredible ride, but it鈥檚 far from over. This is just beginning.鈥� ]]> /news-archive/2018/02/20/book-sale-study-abroad-scholarships/ Tue, 20 Feb 2018 15:34:42 +0000 /news/?p=69469 ... Book sale to raise money for study abroad scholarships]]> A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor is collecting book donations to raise money for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students hoping to attend a summer language program in France.听 The Department of World Languages will host a book sale in April to raise scholarship funds for students who wish to travel abroad this summer. To assist with the book sale, the department welcomes donations until Wednesday, March 28. Donors can drop books off at the department office in Stabler Hall Room 301 or contact Zac Hagins, assistant professor of French, at zrhagins@ualr.edu to schedule a time to have the books picked up. “As an undergraduate I was fortunate enough to study abroad in France and Japan, so I know the transformative power of the study abroad adventure,鈥� Hagins said. 鈥淓very student who wants to experience life in another culture should have that chance.鈥� With students juggling family, work, and school, Hagins knows that meeting the financial obligations of studying abroad can be tough. Having led the summer French program, he also knows the importance of students being able to travel and experience another culture first-hand. 鈥淢any dream of having the opportunity, but they worry about taking out loans or working extra hours to save enough money to participate,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he book sale allows us to help at least one student offset the costs of realizing his or her dream. With any luck, the book sale will continue to grow, and we will be able to help even more students in the future.” With the funds raised from the book sale, Hagins will provide a scholarship to a student participating in the World Languages Department Summer Language Program in Orl茅ans, France, who demonstrates a financial need. In 2017, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community donated 40 boxes of books for the first World Languages Department book sale and raised $400. Rebekah Duke, a French major who graduated in August 2017, received the first Department of World Languages Octave Uzanne Scholarship for Summer Study Abroad in France. The scholarship helped Duke attend a faculty-led summer language program to Paris and Orleans, France. The scholarship is named in honor of Octave Uzanne, a French writer, journalist, and book publisher who听founded the Soci茅t茅 des Bibliophiles Contemporaines and served as its first president. Noted for his literary research on 18th-century authors, Uzanne also researched fashion and femininity and wrote novels and fantasy books.]]>