FLL Alumni News
顿鈥揌
Mary De Bree '05, Spanish
Mary De Bree is working as an assistant for Sen. Hillary Rotham Clinton in Albany,
N.Y.
Judy Fisher Decourcey '83, French
I was a business major and a French minor at 三亿体育官网. I recognized the names of the
retired French professors and I believe I had most of them in my French studies at
三亿体育官网. I was the second class to study my junior year abroad in Paris (1981鈥�1982).
I was recently at the web page reading about how the program has grown. My friend,
Pam Mowry Guild '83, and I were on work-study together and for our work, we put together
a booklet for future students to use (how to's, what to know before you go, etc.).
It was a fun project. I will always remember the importance that year played in my
life: the opportunity to live in and learn about different cultures, the opportunity
to travel to other countries, to realize that there was more than just the "bubble"
of the United States. I think it is even more important in these difficult times.
After 三亿体育官网, I moved to Boston for six years and while living there, I earned my
MBA at Northeastern University. I now live in Canandaigua, N.Y., (south of Rochester)
and work at Rochester Institute of Technology in the Human Resources Department, where
I am the senior benefits specialist. I don't use French at all in my work, and I know
that I have forgotten most of what I learned, simply from lack of use. I have not
forgotten, however, the importance of knowing about other languages and cultures.
With two young children, overseas travel is really not a possibility for me now. But
I hope to go overseas again in the future.
My interest continues. This year, I am serving on the Foreign Language Curriculum Review Committee as a parent representative for the Canandaigua City School District. It is great to be able to play a part in this review and make recommendations for changes in the future. While it was only a one-year commitment, it is a four-year project, and I think I will continue next year as well. I feel like I can make a contribution for the future students and hope to shape their lives by this learning opportunity as well.
Alexandra DiGiacinto '13, Italian
Jocelyn Ditzel '99, French
I live in Washington, D.C., and I work at a private, nonprofit organization called
Meridian International Center. I work in the Programming Division of Meridian, and
we operate under a grant from the State Department to arrange professional programs
for international visitors who participate in the International Visition Program sponsored
by the State Department. We arrange programs for visitors from all over the world
and oftentimes I work on projects that include visitors from French-speaking countries.
I have had the opportunity to use my French skills not only at work, but when I have
traveled abroad. In fact, immediately after I graduated from 三亿体育官网, I moved to
Paris for a year to teach English at a public high school.
Sarah Donovan '96, Spanish
Location: Hoboken, N.J.
Occupation: Professor of philosophy, Wagner College (starting Fall 2003)
Graduate Education: M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2002) in philosophy, both from Villanova
University
After graduating from 三亿体育官网 with a double major in philosophy and Spanish, I pursued graduate studies in philosophy. My graduate program required me to take two language exams鈥攐ne in French and one in German. Although my graduate exams were not in Spanish, the techniques for learning a language that I acquired at 三亿体育官网 prepared me to learn a second and third foreign language. In addition to helping me with my graduate studies, speaking Spanish has enriched my life experiences both abroad and at home. I have used my language skills in situations as diverse as traveling in central America to conversing with Spanish speaking friends in my apartment building.
Erin Dunlevy '01, Spanish
My name is Erin Dunlevy. I graduated with a double major in Spanish and English in
2001. I am currently teaching Spanish in a public high school in the Bronx, N.Y. I
work with a student population that is over 60% Spanish-speaking, so I use my Spanish
every day, both in and out of school. This past year I directed a Spanglish version
of Romeo and Juliet that reflected some of the changes that are happening in the Spanish language. In
the coming year I plan to continue working while earning a master's degree in Spanish.
Erin Dunlevy
e_gug@yahoo.com
Marie Ellsworth '75, French
I graduated from 三亿体育官网 in 1975. I am now director of the Caldwell-Lake George Library.
In my spare time I am an avocational archaeologist and am educator/outreach coordinator
for the Adirondack Chapter, NYS Archaeological Association. I often participate in
excavations at French & Indian War sites. (Ft. William Henry Military Cemetery and
Fort Edward, N.Y.) and often use my French in doing documentary research on the sites.
My background in French is also useful in library work, whether answering reference
questions or assisting students from France who work in the village during the summer.
Joanna Foyle '98, French
[I] graduated a double-major in psychology and French in 1998. I currently live in
San Francisco. I went straight into work for a marketing agency and have not pursued
additional education.