Living Abroad in Another Language

A sense of purpose and direction Lauren Clark ’19 spent her Junior year living in and around Paris, France.  During her spring semester, she studied at the L’université de Cergy-Pontoise, located just outside Paris.  Lauren’s independent study course was key in sparking a brand new passion for French politics, one that led her to multiple internships, rallies of French presidential candidates, and a new academic and professional path.  Listen to Lauren’s story. Transcript

I ended up becoming so engaged in French politics, that I realized ‘Oh my goodness! Now I have a way that I can use my passion for the French language and culture and apply it to a science or a study that I will be able to impact and to learn a lot about.’ I ended up finding this new passion for politics, and it showed me this new direction for my life that I never had considered before . . . So the internships that I had, the study abroad experience, the connections that I made, the host family that I stayed with, and the things that I learned about myself gave me a sense of purpose and direction, and a relatively clear path for the future. It also opened doors to opportunities that I would have never imagined, like an internship next semester at the European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau at the Department of State. That would have never been possible if I didn’t have the experiences that I had when I studied abroad.