L’ESSOR
newsletter of the professional french masters program University of Wisconsin-Madison Volume 13, Issue 1
THE PFMP UPS ITS GAME AGAIN
SPRING 2016
All courses now in French, plus pro workshops
in this issue Program professional learning gets more personalized
1
Alumni profile : Christine Kuenzle on advertising, startups, and the PFMP
2
From the Director
3
Alumni profile : Kate Williams on travel education and the PFMP
4
Current students & alumni
5
Avant de travailler, un selfie : Memorial Library Francophone Bibliographer Emilie Songolo with Fall 2015 cohort PFMP students and Director Ritt Deitz
Professional workshops paired with new coursework in French bring concentration area skills more directly to every student.
Every PFMP student has a concentration area: business, EU affairs, education, international education, international development, or media/arts/cultural production. For 16 years, academic work in that area has been limited to relevant courses available in departments outside French and Italian during the student’s year in Madison. Until now. After two years of study by program faculty, students, alumni and partners, the PFMP is launching a new concentration-area format that delivers all coursework in French and brings professional expertise more directly
to our students. New courses teach career strategy, skill set literature, and corporate social and environmental responsibility, all with a focus on individual research. Concentration area work also becomes more personalized. Beginning this fall, every student will take six of ten new annual, expert-led workshops, on skills including sustainable development, global health-focused international development, marketing research, fundraising, translation, budgeting and international education.
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ALUMNI PROFILE
Christine Kuenzle (MFS 2009)
What do you do now for a living? I work for a boutique advertising agency called Direct Focus Online. We design websites and marketing materials, develop comprehensive online marketing strategies, and build traffic partnerships to drive new customer acquisition. We started out with a focus on beauty and wellness products, and are now branching out into many other verticals, including lots of cool gadgets, games, and apps. Our team had a lot of fun with product evaluation when we brought in a ‘hoverboard’ client! When I applied for the job, the company had just opened its doors, and I really didn’t know what to expect. We started in a small office in Manhattan, just four of us, and now we have an amazing international network of offices and activities. It’s pretty exciting.
How did the PFMP help you get there?
Christine Kuenzle is a Business Development Executive at Direct Focus Online. She lives in Luxembourg.
From the PFMP I also took away the importance of networking, and of looking at an issue from all angles — this is the mentality you need to thrive in any startup.
Direct Focus Online always intended to be a global company. I was one of their first hires, and I’m certain that my international profile played in my favor. As my role within the company evolved, skills that I had acquired from the PFMP (intercultural communication, experience in market research through PFMP internship, fluency in French, willingness to travel, etc.) became increasingly valuable. When I requested a transfer to Luxembourg, it was granted, and my company could be confident in my ability to be successful in a French-speaking country. From the PFMP I also took away the importance of networking, and of looking at an issue from all angles – this is the mentality you need to thrive in any startup.
What are the biggest challenges in your line of work these days? The biggest challenge for our company is learning the best way to approach new technology. Of course we have to know what players are coming on the scene, but we also have to understand how each new platform or tool will be relevant for online marketing. This means anticipating how each platform will monetize their service, and being in the right position to take advantage of each opportunity. Another challenge is managing growth, keeping it sustainable and keeping it stable. We’ve put a lot of effort into establishing clear processes for each team, and keeping our company activities organized and manageable. (continued on page 3
Volume 13, Issue 1
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From the Director : Sharpen Regularly As you build a successful career, you learn two things pretty early on. First, change is inevitable, but it can also be a very good thing. Second, if you want to stay sharp, you have to do the sharpening yourself. These two rules apply to everything from starting new projects to refreshing a professional wardrobe. If you want a satisfying work life, you need to observe both rules as you move along your path. But that path also needs to show continuity, since branding yourself also means showcasing skills and a track record. Those skills must have value beyond the here and now. They must also show that you can see change coming, and that you can adapt creatively and effectively. To me, this is what regularly “sharpening” really means. Successful organizations, like people, must also follow this rule. Built around the individual learner and the concept of professional networking, the PFMP is no exception. Since 2000, our internship development program has started with the individual student, hunting for those opportunities that best fit the unique profile of a student in a particular moment in time. This requires regular sharpening. So do master’s projects. For nearly a decade, PFMP students ended their program with a traditional master’s thesis, based on research and defended before a jury of professors at program’s end. Our graduates were successful, but after a couple of years of study, it seemed that the format was too academic. So we sharpened it. Since 2009, the heart of the student portfolio is
the projet de fin de parcours, a thesis-length final project based on the student’s unique internship abroad, presented in a conference setting before the program community. This fall we have sharpened further. As you can see in the brief article on page 1, PFMP students will no longer complete their 10-credit concentration area study by taking three courses in English in other UW-Madison departments. Nearly two years of assessment among alumni and current students indicated that, while such courses could be perfectly relevant and were always instructive in some way, a student’s limited time on campus could make those courses feel random or disconnected from the specific mission of the PFMP. With all its graduate-level courses now in French, the PFMP has sharpened this tool. This fall, students will continue the PFMP tradition of special individual research in coursework, complemented by three of five concentration-area skills workshops offered only to PFMP students every semester. These workshops deepen the program tradition of contact with a range of experts, both from the UW-Madison campus and from practitioners in fields our alumni work in. This program change now brings the experts even more directly to our students, working with workshop leaders around a table together, creating portfolios and professional profiles that are sharper than ever.
Ritt Deitz Skills workshops deepen PFMP student contact with a range of experts from UW-Madison and from the fields our alumni work in.
Kuenzle (continued from p. 2) What do you hope your work will accomplish?
Any suggestions for prospective students considering the PFMP?
Our company provides the tools for anyone to make their online business successful. We often work with small companies and other startups, and it’s amazing to see the results when effective marketing causes a big reaction. It’s a very exciting space to be in. Our work makes building an online business a feasible, accessible venture for anyone who wants to get started.
Interesting businesses are looking for interesting people. Take advantage of all the opportunities the PFMP offers to work abroad and grow your international network. Gaining these types of unique experiences and connections will help you stand out in a great way.
We often work with small companies and other startups, and it’s amazing to see the results when effective marketing causes a big reaction.
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ALUMNI PROFILE Kate Williams is International Education Coordinator for the North Carolinabased travel education company Broadreach.
Kate Williams
(MFS 2013, international development)
Everyone thinks my job is going on vacation. This isn’t true, but it’s kinda fun that people think so.
What do you do now for a living?
The PFMP offers a more real world take on language learning that focuses on helping students find careers.
Everyone thinks that my job is going on vacation. This isn't true, but it's kinda fun that people think so. In reality, I use my teaching, language, travel, and outdoor skills to design educational programs abroad for middle school, high school, and college students. My program expertise is in French language education, but I've also had the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues on Spanish, Biology, Marine Science, History, Public Health, and Conservation programs. The best part of my job is traveling with students to help guide them through exciting international education experiences similar to those that shaped me when I was in school.
How did the PFMP help you get there? My friends and family will be the first to point this out, but I actually chose the PFMP because
I "would never be a French teacher." Different from other programs focusing on literature and teaching careers in academia, the PFMP offered more of a real world take on language learning that focused on helping students find careers in a wide array of professional sectors. This spoke to me as I had always felt like I had learned my most cherished academic and professional skills outside of the classroom. With the promise of an international internship, I signed on for the PFMP. Ironically, and to the delight of those who knew stubborn adolescent Kate, my PFMP internship as a language teacher at the Maison d'Haiti in Montreal helped me discover a passion for language education in a very unique international context. Now, I have fully embraced my new identity as a French language educator through the niche lens of travel education. (continued on page 6)
Volume 13, Issue 1
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Current Students & Alumni Ali Barger (business) est actuellement en stage chez Redbridge Debt and Treasury Advisory, une boîte de conseil en financement et en cash management à Paris. Elle travaille sur les missions françaises et américaines au sein de la boîte. Serena Berkowitz (international education) is currently interning at humanitarian consulting firm InterWorks in Madison. This fall she will intern at the Université de Technologie de Troyes (France). Emily Davies
John Brunner (MFS 2013, business) a quitté son poste à Business France à Chicago, où il était en charge des relations commerciales entre le Midwest et la France dans le secteur agroalimentaire. Il est maintenant Rédacteur en Communication à la Confédération internationale des sociétés d’auteurs et compositeurs (CISAC). Il vit à Paris. Meghan Butler (MFS 2010, business) is now Deputy Country Representative for PSI Guinea, in West Africa. She lives in Conakry. Sarah Craver (MFS 2012, media/arts/ cultural production) is Program Assistant for France, Belgium and French-Speaking Switzerland at the MIT Center for International Studies.
L-R international educators Kerry Strader, Chris Fuglestad and Serena Berkowitz ; Regional NAFSA conference, Chicago (October 2015)
John Brunner est Rédacteur en Communication à la Confédération internationale des sociétés d’auteurs et compositeurs (CISAC) à Paris.
Diana Cruz (business) co-présente un projet marketing collaboratif à la conférence annuelle de la National Agri-Marketing Association à Kansas City au mois d’avril. Emily Davies (développement international) travaille actuellement avec la Central Africa Initiative à UWMadison comme traductrice et assistante en communication et recherche. Alexander Esposito (MFS 2015, business) is an Agrotech Trade Advisor with Business France in Chicago. Susan (West) Feess (MFS 2012, international education) lives in New York City and is Assistant Director of Student Affairs in the Executive MBA program at Columbia Business School. Andrea Ferrer (éducation internationale) fera son stage cet automne à IES Paris Centre d’études françaises. Chris Fuglestad (éducation internationale) fera son stage cet automne au sein du Bureau international de l’Université Laval, à Québec. Jonathan Gatke (international development) has returned from his internship at AZUR Développement in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo and is currently interning in the West and Central African Department at Population Services International in Washington, DC.
Ashley Gordon (business) fera son stage cet été en communication au sein d’Arion orchestre baroque, à Montréal. Bryan Hammerquist (MFS 2011, business) is a Customer Success Manager at SendGrid, an email services provider based in Boulder, CO, where he interacts with customers from North America and Europe.
PFMP interns meet up in Paris. L-R: Ali Barger, Sarah Schwartz, Kaitlyn Waller.
Ashley Herrick (MFS 2013, business) is in her second year as Assistant Director of the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area in the Louisiana Office of the Lt. Governor. Nicholas Hitch (MFS 2015, business) vit à Québec,.où il est traducteur et réviseur linguistique pour l'entreprise de quincaillerie Canac-Marquis Grenier. Très heureux d'être impliqué dans le marché du travail québécois, il profite pleinement de cet unique coin francophone nordaméricain. Kerith Iverson (MFS 2007, EU affairs) is Public and Governmental Affairs Officer for the Quebec Government Office in Chicago, and also President of the United Nations Association, Chicago Chapter. Barbara Jedele (MFS 2015, international education) is an Advisor at UW-Madison's International Internship Program. Kristi (Sandven) Koolen (MFS 2012, international development) is in her third year at NAV National Office for Social Insurance Abroad where she works as a claims officer. She lives in Oslo, Norway. Christine Kuenzle (MFS 2009, business) and husband Carl de La Chapelle (Tutor 2009) have recently moved back to Luxembourg. Christine is a Business Development Executive at Direct Focus Online, and Carl is a Corporate Lawyer at Arendt & Medernach. Cheryl Lowney (MFS 2009, business) teaches intro through AP French at Boise High School in Boise, Idaho, and will be honored this April as a 2016 Rotary Century Scholars Significant Educator. Joshua Marris (MFS 2015, business) is a Junior Broker / Wine Consultant at Sokolin, a direct marketer of high-end wine to customers worldwide. (continued on page 6)
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Current
(continued from page 6) Chris Fuglestad Abby Mensing (MFS 2005, media/arts/cultural production) is International Admissions Coordinator for the English Language Institute at the University of Houston (Downtown).
La promotion de 2015 fête l’hiver à Madison. Mariam Masroor (Certificat 2013, développement international) est associée de ventes billingue à West Corporation, à Middleton. Sarah Matier (MFS 2015, Business) is now the Executive Assistant at Paul Klein Travel, a luxury travel agency in downtown Chicago. Jackie Mauer (MFS 2013, International Development) is in-country Director of Programming for JUSTA, a small NGO focusing on fair trade, education, and health in rural, indigenous Guatemala. She also works part time in two French programs: Concordia Language Villages (as Marketing Coordinator) and the University of Wisconsin Extension (as French Instructor). Adriane Melchert (business) fera son stage cet automne à Art Mûr, une galerie d’art à Montréal.
Jordan Milliken (MFS 2008, international development, media/arts/cultural production) works as a bilingual speech-language pathologist in Lincoln, Nebraska. She uses French and Spanish to facilitate interactions with parents of students in the special education program and provide specialized treatment. She also serves on a task force between the Special Education and ELL programs to ensure refugees with language disorders are differentiated from those with language differences. Stephanie Olson (MFS 2015, international development) is Africa Field Coordinator for The Glow Exchange, a women's empowerment non-profit startup in Uganda.
Vive le vin québécois ! Josh Marris (MFS 2015, business) and Angela Bublitz (international education) check out la Belle province.
Emily Ostenson (MFS 2013, international education) has left her position as International Relations Manager at Grenoble IAE and is now the Study Abroad Advisor for France & Italy Programs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Kathleen Patterson (MFS 2010, business) has just taken on the role of Associate Brand Manager at the US subsidiary of Champagne Laurent-Perrier. Starting at Laurent-Perrier in June of 2014 as an Operation and Finance (continued on page 7)
Williams (continued from p. 4) The big question now is : What makes a study abroad experience meaningful ?
What are the biggest challenges in your line of work these days?
What do you hope your work will accomplish?
Authenticity. International education is booming and study abroad programs are becoming popular for students of all levels (my company just ran our first elementary school program abroad this year!). This is great; but as study abroad takes off, it's becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish programs offering 'big box tours' from those that curate more nuanced experiences abroad. The big question now is: What makes a study abroad experience meaningful and is there a limit to providing authentic experiences abroad?
I hope that my work will inspire students to be lifelong explorers who seek challenges and consider the world as their classroom. I hope that my programs make learning fun and something that happens everywhere, at any time, and in any place. Any suggestions for prospective students considering the PFMP? Explore! Try as many new things as possible. Think outside the box. Try not to worry too much about what comes next - learning is precious.
Volume 13, Issue 1
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Current Students & Alumni (continued from page 6) Analyst, Kathleen was asked to take on the role of Business Intelligence Analyst to better support the sales team and analyze performance across the US. The Associate Brand Manager position allows her to further support the sales team through marketing as well as close monitoring of brand performance country wide. She lives in New York. Kelley (Swanlund) Patriat (MFS 2013, international education) continues to love her role as Assistant Director of Admissions and Administration at Global Language Institute in downtown Saint Paul, MN. Brynn Powell (business) fait son stage PFMP à la Paris Wine Company, un agent de vins français avec une production à petite échelle autour de la viticulture bio ou biodynamique.
Kate Williams (R) with Broadreach students in Guadeloupe
Kelly Silvers (business) fera son stage cet été à Parmount Home Entertainment France à Paris, au département des ressources humaines. Sarah Sommerkamp (MFS 2015, international development) is current an English teacher, translation and interpretation intern at the United African Organization in Chicago. Currently Assistant Director of the UW-Madison Center for Interdisciplinary French Studies, Kerry Strader (international education) will intern this fall in the Student Services Office at HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales) Montréal.
Actuellement stagiaire en International Academic Programs à UW-Madison, Cassie Tant (éducation internationale) travaillera cet été pour la Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, à Drake University (Des Moines, IA), avant de commencer son stage cet automne en France. Patrick Whelan (MFS 2009, international educations) is a Localization Manager at Epic Systems in Verona, WI. He manages French Translation for the company as well as translation, software testing, and internationalization efforts for their patient-facing MyChart application.
« MA VIE AUX ETATS-UNIS » Près de 40.000 abonnés à la chaîne YouTube d’un étudiant français du PFMP Originaire de Lille dans le nord de la France et actuellement étudiant au PFMP en français et éducation internationale, Yoann Buidin a créé en mai 2015 une chaîne Youtube dans le but de partager son aventure outre Atlantique avec ses amis et sa famille restés en France. C’est contre toute attente et à sa grande surprise qu’en l’espace de trois mois sa page, Ma vie aux EtatsUnis, accueillait déjà plus de 10.000 abonnés, et après presque un an c’est plus de 37.500 personnes, principalement francophones entre 13 et 35 ans, qui suivent curieusement ses aventures au pays de l’Oncle Sam. Le concept est simple: faire voyager les gens à travers ses vidéos. C’est d’une façon ludique et divertissante que Yoann aborde différents thèmes tels que: la culture américaine sous tous ses angles, du 4 juillet à
Thanksgiving, en passant par la nourriture américaine, des conseils pour voyager aux Etats-Unis, des faits de société, ou encore des vlogs sur ses différents voyages. Dans le but d’atteindre un public plus large, Yoann sous-titre toutes ses vidéos en anglais ce qui attire de nombreux étudiants nonfrancophones voulant s’améliorer en français, donnant à sa chaîne une nouvelle dimension éducative. Au vu du succès rencontré, et grâce à un récent partenariat avec une école de langue, Yoann espère continuer à développer sa chaîne Youtube avec comme par exemple un projet de vidéos où il voyagera dans différentes villes américaines afin de faire découvrir à son public encore plus sur les Etats-Unis.
Chaîne: http://www.youtube.com/c/MavieauxEtatsUnis
L’ESSOR Newsletter of the Professional French Masters Program
Professional French Masters Program University of Wisconsin-Madison 618 Van Hise Hall 1220 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706 Tel: 608-262-4090 Fax: 608-265-3892 E-mail: mdeitz@wisc.edu
@ThePFMP
http://pfmp.wisc.edu
UW-Madison PFMP alumni meet up at Washington, D.C. restaurant Convivial this winter. L-R: Peebles Squire, Lauren Herzog, Ashley Herrick, Patrick Malarkey.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Professional French Masters Program is an interdisciplinary master’s degree program for college graduates who want to use their French to build careers outside the academic classroom. The PFMP has concentrations in business, French education, international education, European Union affairs, international development and media/arts/cultural production, all culminating in a personalized professional internship abroad and a professional portfolio. We also offer the Capstone Certificate of Professional French Studies, which includes partial master’s coursework and the full internship in all six concentration areas.