L’ESSOR
newsletter of the professional french masters program University of Wisconsin-Madison Volume 17, Issue 1
THE PFMP GOES VIRTUAL
SPRING 2021
Rapid pandemic response brings new opportunities for internship and career development in program
in this issue Alumni profile: Katrina Perito, Business France (NY)
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From the Director
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Current students & alumni
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The job market itself has adapted as the PFMP has. Virtual internships are as compelling as ever to employers.
Students working with professional French-to-English translator Meghan Konkol in her PFMP professional skills workshop, “Translation Techniques and Strategies”
Like most organizations, the PFMP was affected immediately by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the worst of it were the travel restrictions. We could hunker down while this played out, but how would our students complete their program's capstone and crown jewel, the professional internship abroad? As it turned out, just like everyone else: from home. The week the university announced it was temporarily moving classes online, program faculty and staff met to craft a solution. Within days, we had approved internship alternatives that
our students quickly began to work on. As always, interns would work in French, for organizations throughout world, but now in a remote format—some at organizations physically located in the United States, for the first time in program history. Of course, there were challenges. Like most professionals, PFMP interns were surprised how lonely this form of work can feel. "There are times when I miss being around people," said Erin Savre (international education), now interning for the French Consulate (NY) following a stint at the Université de Montréal. (continued on p. 3)
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ALUMNI PROFILE Katrina Perito
PFMP alumna helps French companies find markets in the United States What do you do now for a living? I am a Trade Advisor in charge of Sports, Tourism, Leisure and Culture with Business France, the French government agency for trade and development. I am based in New York City, and Business France is present in over 70 countries worldwide. Business France works to help the French economy prosper internationally; I specifically work with French companies in my sector to help them scale and launch in the United States. This can involve doing market benchmarking, helping them find a retail partner, working with them to set up an office in the US, or assisting them via a trade show or startup accelerator (among other projects!). In my role, I also do a fair amount of networking and industry research.
How did the PFMP help get you there? I would say first and foremost that the PFMP pushed my French to its most professional form. Second, all of the work we did on intercultural management has become extremely relevant, not only as I coach companies to start their North American expansion, but also in my day-to-day interactions at work, as almost all of my coworkers are French. Understanding the cultural differences has been key in all of my projects thus far, and I think as an American, my teams value my perspective on this issue. Finally, I would not have been able to get this job without my PFMP internship at Comexposium, which turned into a CDD (contrat à durée déterminée). The year I spent working on marketing and communications in France was vital for my professional development.
What are the biggest challenges in your line of work these days?
Katrina Perito (MFS 2019) studied French and business in the PFMP, with an emphasis on marketing. She did her internship at Compexposium, one of the world’s largest event organizers, in Paris, and now works for Business France in New York City.
The biggest challenge right now is of course the pandemic. Normally, our companies come to the US and Canada to meet with clients, and we organize several delegations that participate in startup accelerators and trade shows. All this was virtual this year, which culturally poses a challenge for French companies, who usually prefer to meet in person. In addition, the economic and political climate in 2020 certainly affected how the US was perceived abroad, (continued on next page)
L’ESSOR Winter 2021
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Virtual options (continued from page 1) Ama Mohammed (business) agreed: in spite of the uninterrupted focus she felt in her work at the Fondation Québec Philanthrope, Mohammed reached out early to colleagues she would not otherwise have been introduced to, which quickly helped her feel part of the virtual team. "I would not have thought of the importance of feeling present had it been an in-person setting," says Mohammed. She is not alone: according to PFMP Assistant Director Mandi Schoville, who coordinates all internship hunts with students individually, interns who more explicitly "expressed their needs, concerns and wants have had more satisfying internships." For Savre, isolation was counter-balanced by independence. "I was able to explore my interests more freely," she says, adding that the virtual internship has meant "valuable experience, professional skills and contacts in the field of international education." Students were surprised by other upsides. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype and other platforms were to be expected, but interns noticed a new efficiency in their use. Anne Paper (business), who had several years of
private-sector experience in telecommunications under her belt before joining the PFMP, noticed this in her marketing internship at Montreal-based bicycle manufacturer Picolo Vélo. "People respond more quickly to email messages, LinkedIn connection requests, and online outreach," says Paper. Interns also noted the value of coordination, already important at work but especially important when all members are in different places. "Everyone has to be on the same page," says Dan Riecker (international education), an intern in Student Services at the business school HEC Montréal who was also guest speaker this fall at a national French Studies round table on the virtual internship. "There has to be a really solid connection between intern and team," he says, "and the sense of connection comes eventually." With that connection can come unexpected energy. "I have learned so much over the past five weeks," and I truly do get excited to use my French every day," says Bhavana Suvarna (international development), currently interning virtually at the Quebec Government Office in Chicago. "Even remotely, this is exactly the sort of bilingual, bicultural environment I wanted to be in," she adds, "and I love it!" (continued on p. 4)
Alumni Profile : Katrina Perito and made it a less certain choice for some companies.
What do you hope your work will accomplish? I hope that my work will lead to further collaboration between France and the US, as I think we have a lot to learn from each other—in business and otherwise. More specifically, I am excited to see how the sport sector adapts and changes faced with extreme challenges such as the pandemic. I believe sport is a great unifier, and I am interested to see how France and the US will work together, given upcoming mutual projects such as the Olympics (Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028). I hope to be a small part of these historical events!
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Any suggestions for prospective students considering the PFMP? My biggest suggestion for prospective students would be to have a clear idea of what you plan to get out of the program. No degree will magically give you a job – I think that my current job is a direct result of my priorities during the program. I knew I specifically wanted to work on getting my French to a top level, and I wanted to leverage my past experiences combined with new skills I learned throughout the program to improve my marketing, communications and business acumen. These were things I prioritized throughout the program and during my internship, which led to the job I have today.
The virtual internship meant valuable experience, professional skills and contacts in the field.
Reaching out to colleagues early made the intern feel part of he virtual team.
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From the Director
Postponed galas, community support We published our last issue mere weeks before COVID-19
Ritt Deitz
arrived in Wisconsin. By then, nearly two hundred students, alumni and friends had confirmed plans to attend the PFMP 20 symposium and gala that would send us into our program's third decade—with food, live music, toasts, old friends. Une vraie fête. Alas, the festivities would have to wait. Like most organizations on the planet, our program and university moved safely online while we awaited—and continue to prepare for—the pandemic's end. The gala? Not cancelled. Just postponed. Meanwhile, our year has been surprisingly splendid: an excellent class of students, alumni getting jobs, new Francophone events accessible to our students online. Also, a small-scale fundraising effort: we reached out to alumni in the early fall, to ask for help with scholarships and new program development, and received nearly fourteen thousand dollars in donations within just a few weeks. We expect to match that by year's end, adding to program tools that we are taking into the first phases of our next twenty years.
As we start our third decade, our program community is larger and more active than ever.
Virtual Options
How is this new PFMP decade recognizable? In a word: continuity. Students and alumni continue to get jobs, move up in their respective fields, work internationally in all kinds of ways. As always, see our "Alumni Profile" and "Current Students and Alumni" sections for updates, examples of how PFMP students and alumni use their French at work outside the classroom. What seems new is the sudden size and scope of our program community. In ever larger numbers, PFMP alumni mentor, present, give skills workshops, network, advise and support the program financially. Students support and challenge each other in their networking and research. Program faculty and staff remain as busy as ever in our collaboration with program students and stakeholders. The result: new students enter the program to find an ever-evolving set of opportunities unlike anything most of them have experienced before.
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The job market itself has adapted as the PFMP has: virtual internships are as compelling as ever to employers. Recent graduate Katie Orsund (EU affairs) says her experience at the Quebec City tech startup Capian made her attractive to the Chicago market research firm Numerator, where she now works as a Remote Bilingual Data Associate. Gretchen McCarthy (international education), who interned remotely in Morocco from her home base in Mexico, finishes the PFMP as a new employee of ISEP Study Abroad, where she is Student Services Officer for the United States. Watch this newsletter for updates on others, as Right: PFMP student Al Kolenda (international development) enjoying a internship alternative break during the pandemic.
they graduate and update us on their next professional chapters. Travel abroad will return in an accessible form, sooner rather than later, and we expect the on-site experience to be the crown jewel again. And so do our students—all but one of the current interns urged us to keep the virtual internship as a permanent alternative, once the pandemic lifts.
L’ESSOR Winter 2021
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Current Students & Alumni Gabriel Adams (MFS 2001, EU affairs) is Director of the Enterprise Risk Partner team at PayPal in San Jose, California. In this capacity, he drives company leaders, product developers, and policy leads to approval of payments experiences in all regions worldwide. Ivana Bajic (business) a obtenu son B.S. en français et neurobiologie à l’UW—Madison (2019). Après avoir travaillé dans la gestion des risques, la restauration et la recherche scientifique, Ivana oriente ses recherches PFMP vers les affaires et espère travailler, après sa maîtrise, pour une entreprise qui inspire de la joie.
Ivana Bajic
Cosette Bardawil (média/arts/production culturelle) a fait ses études sous-graduées à Lawrence University (Appleton, WI), où elle a étudié le français et la flûte traversière classique. Après ses études, Cosette a travaillé en France comme assistante d’anglais dans une école primaire et dans un lycée à Rennes. Après sa maîtrise, elle aimerait travailler dans un environnement artistique, en enseignant et/ou en organisant des événements culturels. Alexandra (Ali) Barger (MFS 2016, business) has worked at Redbridge Debt and Treasury Advisory since graduating from the PFMP in 2016. For four years she was a treasury consultant within Redbridge for 4 years then joined Redbridge's Sales team in October 2020. She lives in Paris.
Cosette Bardawil
With three U.S. State Department-affiliated internships under his belt, Jacob Borst (business) earned his B.A. in International Affairs and French from Eastern Michigan University in 2019. His PFMP research focused on marketing/branding, Jacob concurrently helps manage international student exchanges at the Wisconsin School of Business. Jacques Boulais (développement international) a fait ses études à Wabash College (IN) où il a étudié le français, les sciences politiques, et l'histoire, après quoi il a travaillé comme assistant de langue dans deux collèges à la Martinique. Après sa maîtrise il aimerait travailler dans une équipe internationale marquée par sa diversité.
Courtney Bell (Summer Institute) is a French and Spanish teacher and district department chair for world language in the West Allis-West Milwaukee school district. Her PFMP research focuses on strategic communication in organizations. Her strategic plan aims to elevate the profile of the world language programs in her district. Serena Berkowitz (MFS 2017, international education) finished her Peace Corps service in Ukraine in March 2020 after being evacuated from the country due to COVID-19. After a brief stint in her hometown of Madison, she returned with her husband to Washington, DC and since September has been a French and Spanish teacher at Capitol Hill Day School. Ruby Blau (MFS 2018, business) is an Associate Product Manager at Workiva, a tech company focused on simplifying complex work and bringing transparency in the global economy. Ruby lives in Chicago.
Gabriel Adams
Ali Barger
Ruby Blau Katrina Brown (MFS 2013, international education) is Associate Director for Learning Abroad at the University of Utah. She recently won a grant from the French-American Cultural Exchange Foundation, to coordinate the virtual Tournées French Film Festival for University of Utah students this spring.
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Current
(continued from page 4) John Brunner (MFS 2013, business) is Export and Digital Marketing Manager for Terrisson Wines, a Nîmesbased agency representing over 35 producers throughout France. He lives in Avignon with his wife, Manon Messainguiral, a wine export manager at Famille Fabre.
Angela Bublitz (MFS 2016, international education) is a Production Specialist at EF College Study, where she Jacob Borst specializes in short-term study abroad programs in the UK and France. She lives in Basel, Switzerland. En février 2021, Yoann Buidin-Ferrer (MFS 2017, éducation internationale) quitte ECLA CAMPUS pour l’Université Paris-Saclay, où il est Chargé de mobilité sortante au sein de la direction des relations internationales. Yoann vit en banlieue parisienne avec son épouse Andréa Buidin-Ferrer (MFS 2017, éducation internationale) et leur fille Pia, née en janvier. ("Un bébé PFMP, dit Yoann, c'est un sacrée nouvelle.") Toute la famille se porte bien. After she graduated from the PFMP, Abby Carr (MFS 2019, business) was hired as an Automotive Trade Advisor at the Chicago office of Business France, where she has worked closely with companies in the motorsport, automotive, and truck industries. In 2021, she will be working in the motorcycle and hydrogen industries.
Jacques Boulais
Lindsay Colbert (MFS, international development, 2008) continues to serve as the Executive Director of a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, Illinois. She frequently uses her French and Italian language skills while attending international conferences (pre-COVID) or connecting with donors and volunteers abroad. Lindsay is a mother of two girls (ages 2 and 5) and lives in suburban Chicagoland.
Sarah Craver (MFS 2012, media/arts/ cultural production) is now Assistant Director of the Tufts University European Center, whose summer programs are in Talloires, France. Sarah lives in the Boston area. Margaret de Pont (international development) earned a BA in international relations and French at Saint Michael’s College (VT), after which she taught English to middle and high schoolers on Reunion Island. She hopes to work with refugees, migrants and otherwise displaced persons in francophone Africa. Kristin Ehlert (international education) joined the PFMP in January following a stint teaching English in the TAPIF program, in a small town outside of Lille, France. As she begins her first semester in the program, she looks forward to gaining the necessary skills to navigate the professional francophone world.
Angela Bublitz Yoann and Andréa Buidin-Ferrer
Alex Esposito (MFS 2015, EU affairs) is a Senior Research Analyst with Euromonitor International where he focuses on guiding global companies through the cannabis industry. He lives in Chicago. Shunqi (Inès) Ge (MFS 2020, international education) is a program assistant in the program department of the College of Distance Learning and Continuing Education at Hohai University, in Nanjing, China. Julia Grawemeyer (MFS 2008, media/arts/cultural production) is teaching Business French at Stony Brook University this semester and continues to work as a literary translator for Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Her translation of Estelle-Sarah Bulle’s Where Dogs Bark with their Tails is scheduled to be published next spring. Bailey Hacker (Summer Institute) teaches French and Spanish at Lincoln High School in Vincennes, Indiana. Her PFMP research has focused on the use of contemporary music in the French classroom and strategic planning for promoting her language programs in her community. After several years working in the cultural sector in France and Morocco, Elena Hart (MFS 2009, international education) now manages Canada and South Africa study abroad programs and general program administration at Efrei Paris: Engineering School of Digital Technologies. She lives in Paris.
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L’ESSOR Winter 2021
Current
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Anika Jengelley (Smith) (MFS 2009, business) has left Mayberry Investments Limited and is now Head of Member Relations at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, based in Kingston, Jamaica. The PSOJ is a not-for-profit organization focused on advocacy for its members and shaping/implementing public policy to create sustainable private sector-led economic growth and development in Jamaica. Ye Jin (MFS 2019, media/arts/cultural production) works for the private equity and venture capital consulting firm Gerson Lehrman Group, in their Shanghai, China office. Florrie McCard (business) is a Bilingual Representative and International Subject Matter Expert in the Consumer Relations Department at the JM Smucker Company. She is also coding qualitative data as part of a UW-sponsored French-language research project conducted in Burkina Faso. Florrie will present her master's research project in May 2021.
Ye Jin
Alex Esposito Shunqi (Inès) Ge
Gretchen McCarthy (MFS 2021, international education) has recently been hired by ISEP Study Abroad, as Student Services Officer for the United States. In this role, Gretchen works with international students throughout their study abroad journey, from the time they express interest in a program to when they complete their time abroad. She lives in Mexico. Jordan Milliken (MFS 2008, media/arts/cultural production) is a bilingual speech-language pathologist in Lincoln, NE. She is the team lead for the evaluation of refugees and immigrants, attempting to streamline procedures to equitably screen individuals for whom English is not their first language. Kathleen Campbell Monich (MFS 2015, international education) has just celebrated three years at SUNY's Fashion Institute of Technology, in their Office of International Programs, in New York. She now oversees all programs to and from mainland Europe (except
Italy) and the Americas. She and her husband welcomed their first child in November. Tyler Myles (développement international) a obtenu sa licence à l’University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign, en français et affaires internationales (2017). Motivée par la capacité des entreprises à avoir des impacts positifs sur la société, elle cherche un stage dans la création, la gestion, et/ou l’évaluation de stratégies RSE (responsabilité sociale des entreprises). Ashley Herrick Orlando (MFS 2013, business), is a jazz musician and singer performing in the Houston (TX) area, where she lives with her husband. She sings in several languages, including French.
Bailey Hacker with her fiancé, Calvin, and their friends Rudy, Murphy and Bear
Following her PFMP internship at user experience software firm Capian (Quebec City), recent program graduate Katherine Orsund (MFS 2020, EU affairs) is now a Remote Bilingual Data Associate at Numerator, a market research start-up in Chicago. Laura Paris (MFS 2011, éducation internationale) a fêté sa première année en tant qu’Assistant Registrar for Scheduling and Faculty Services à Naropa University, une université d'arts libéraux d’inspiration bouddhiste qui se spécialise en éducation contemplative. Elle habite à Louisville, près de Boulder (CO).
Kristin Ehlert
Evan Pelke (développement international) est en première année au PFMP. Il a obtenu son B.A. en 2020 à l’UW-Madison, en français et sciences politiques. Evan espère faire son stage dans une organisation qui soutient la voix de personnes se trouvant en situation précaire – surtout les réfugiés ou d'autres à la recherche de l'asile politique en raison de leur identité et/ou de leur sexualité. (continued on next page)
Tyler Myles
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Evan Pelke
Katrina Perito (MFS 2018, business) has been working as a Sports & Lifestyle Trade Advisor with Business France, the trade and development commission of the French Embassy, since May 2019. While the pandemic impacted certain programs, this year she was able to work on several interesting projects, including sports tech webinars and a startup accelerator program. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Ashley Herrick Orlando performing at a socially-distant live show in Houston, with the Uptown Jazz Band
Shannon Reader (MFS 2019, business) has left her position at McCarus Beverage Company in Charleston (SC), to join Business France in Chicago, where she is Business Development Manager/ Chargée d’affaires for Agrotech. Working on the invest side of the agribusiness team, she helps American food and equipment businesses create new projects and expand their current activities in France.
Anika Jengelley (Smith) participating in a tennis tournament with French Ambassador to Jamaica, Denys Wibaux
Erin Savre (international education) has completed her virtual internship at the Department of International Affairs at the Université de Montréal, and she has now started a second internship at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York, working in the higher education department.
Laura Paris
Danielle Sovereign (international education) graduated from St. Olaf College (MN) in 2018, with a BA in English and French Studies, after which she worked as an English teaching assistant at a high school in Rennes, France. In addition to her studies, Danielle works as a tutor for Galin Education in Madison. Taylor Steinbruegge (MFS 2019, media/arts/cultural production) has joined the Houston (TX) office of Business France as a Senior Trade Advisor. Part of the Tech & Services team, Taylor supports and promotes French businesses in the United States within the Cultural & Creative industries, including media, production, music, entertainment, tech, and festivals. (continued on next page)
Taylor Steinbruegge
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Karen Tubb (MFS 2011, education) is the ESL/International Student Support Specialist and an adjunct French Instructor at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, where she lives with her husband and three children.
Current (continued from page 6)
Melanie Walters (MFS 2019, business) is a Customer Experience Associate at Envoy Global, a Chicago-based immigration software company that provides a management program for streamlining the immigration, visa, and green card process. In her role, Melanie advises foreign nationals and their employers on Envoy’s platform and the immigration process. Naomi Ziegler (MFS 2003, education/business) is Associate Director of Off-Campus Studies at Carleton College (MN). She was recently contracted by American Institutes for Research (AIR) to produce two major reports on the education sectors in Haiti and Guyana for the KIX Innovation Hub.
Brooke Talley
Danielle Sovereign
Bhavana Suvarna (développement international) a fait ses études sous-graduées en économie et en français à Lawrence University (WI) avant de passer l’année scolaire 2018-19 comme assistante d'anglais en Normandie. Actuellement stagiaire aux affaires publiques à la Délégation du Québec à Chicago. Elle anime aussi des ateliers culturels pour l'école de langue Coucou Minneapolis. Following her professional internship at the Université de Bourgogne and graduation from the PFMP, Brooke Talley (MFS 2019, international education) coordinates the Graduate Program in Economic Development (GPED) at Vanderbilt University, where she works with students pursuing the master's in economics. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Cassandra Tant (MFS 2017, international education) made the move from Brittany, France to Des Moines, Iowa where she started her new position as the International Program Manager at Iowa Sister States. Her role is to develop and implement international partnerships that integrate Iowans with the world community through volunteer, public and private action.
Melanie Walters
Tatianna Thurik (MFS 2019, business) a quitté l'entreprise La Fermière et travaille actuellement en tant que Community Builder chez Chefclub, une startup internationale basée à Paris qui fabrique des vidéos recettes et qui compte aujourd'hui plus de 70 millions d'abonnés. Tatianna vit à Paris. Nicole Tridimas (Summer Institute) is the World Language Department Chair and French teacher at Pius XI Catholic High School in Milwaukee, WI. Through her work in the PFMP, she is implementing a strategic plan to expand her French program by improving its visibility and establishing relationships with stakeholders.
Karen Tubb and family
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
http://pfmp.wisc.edu
PFMP alumna Naomi Ziegler (MFS 2003) enjoys a view of Van Hise with her family, during a summer 2020 trip to Madison .
Ziegler is Associate Director of Off-Campus Studies at Carleton College (MN).