Posted 9:42 a.m. Monday, June 1, 2015
Assistant Professor of French Virginie Cassidy often hears the question from prospective students and their parents: “Why study French? What can I do with it?”
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Three UW-La Crosse students graduating in May didn’t have to worry about finding a job after commencement because they studied French in college. From left, Zak Barnetzke received a prestigious graduate studies assistantship in Maryland, while Amy McCubbins and Kayla Sanger have been accepted to the Teaching Assistant Program in France where they will live and work for the next academic year.[/caption]
Assistant Professor of French Virginie Cassidy often hears the question from prospective students and their parents: “Why study French? What can I do with it?”
“Lots!” explains Cassidy. “Learning a second language provides a path to develop skills in global communication, which are required in many professions these days.”
In fact, knowing a second language can help students in ways they might not be thinking about — for example, paying for graduate school or enhancing their professional experience.
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Virginie Cassidy, an assistant professor of modern languages at UW-La Crosse, teaches French, one of the nine languages offered on campus.[/caption]
Three seniors, who graduated in May 2015, realized this while doing work for Cassidy’s course, “French for Professional Communication.”
Amy McCubbins and Kayla Sanger were accepted to the Teaching Assistant Program in France. The program offers young Americans an opportunity to live and work in France for seven months while teaching English to French students of all ages. When they head overseas later this summer, the two will receive a monthly salary and health insurance for teaching twelve hours a week.
McCubbins, a communication studies major, fell in love with French language and culture during a semester abroad in France. When she returned to campus, she decided to minor in French.
Sanger, who majored in French with a business emphasis, always anticipated that this combination would attract future employers. So, she was just as excited as McCubbins to have the opportunity to live overseas with a teaching job.
Another of Cassidy’s students, Zak Barnetzke, wasn’t considering graduate school because he was worried about taking on more student debt. But Cassidy knew of Barnetzke’s passion for learning different languages and cultures and encouraged him to apply to the master’s program in intercultural communication at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Students in the program analyze how social structures and assumptions, along with language use, impact interactions among members of different cultures.
Barnetzke was accepted and offered a teaching assistantship that provides a stipend and tuition waiver. He will teach French to undergrads while completing a master’s of arts. This type of teaching assistantship is not given to all incoming master degree-seeking students.
Cassidy is excited about these opportunities offered to her students who chose to study a language other than English. She says knowing additional languages and cultures can also provide an edge when students begin looking for work.
When preparing to meet potential employers, students need to ask themselves, “What is going to make me stand out?” The answer, according to Cassidy, is the ability to communicate in a second language. “Students entering a business field with knowledge of an additional language not only have the upper hand in landing a job, but they also tend to make more money,” she notes.
See the complete list of languages at UW-La Crosse at www.uwlax.edu/modern-languages/
Three UW-La Crosse students graduating in May didn’t have to worry about finding a job after commencement because they studied French in college. From left, Zak Barnetzke received a prestigious graduate studies assistantship in Maryland, while Amy McCubbins and Kayla Sanger have been accepted to the Teaching Assistant Program in France where they will live and work for the next academic year.[/caption]
Assistant Professor of French Virginie Cassidy often hears the question from prospective students and their parents: “Why study French? What can I do with it?”
“Lots!” explains Cassidy. “Learning a second language provides a path to develop skills in global communication, which are required in many professions these days.”
In fact, knowing a second language can help students in ways they might not be thinking about — for example, paying for graduate school or enhancing their professional experience.
[caption id="attachment_41410" align="alignright" width="240"] Virginie Cassidy, an assistant professor of modern languages at UW-La Crosse, teaches French, one of the nine languages offered on campus.[/caption]
Three seniors, who graduated in May 2015, realized this while doing work for Cassidy’s course, “French for Professional Communication.”
Amy McCubbins and Kayla Sanger were accepted to the Teaching Assistant Program in France. The program offers young Americans an opportunity to live and work in France for seven months while teaching English to French students of all ages. When they head overseas later this summer, the two will receive a monthly salary and health insurance for teaching twelve hours a week.
McCubbins, a communication studies major, fell in love with French language and culture during a semester abroad in France. When she returned to campus, she decided to minor in French.
Sanger, who majored in French with a business emphasis, always anticipated that this combination would attract future employers. So, she was just as excited as McCubbins to have the opportunity to live overseas with a teaching job.
Another of Cassidy’s students, Zak Barnetzke, wasn’t considering graduate school because he was worried about taking on more student debt. But Cassidy knew of Barnetzke’s passion for learning different languages and cultures and encouraged him to apply to the master’s program in intercultural communication at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Students in the program analyze how social structures and assumptions, along with language use, impact interactions among members of different cultures.
Barnetzke was accepted and offered a teaching assistantship that provides a stipend and tuition waiver. He will teach French to undergrads while completing a master’s of arts. This type of teaching assistantship is not given to all incoming master degree-seeking students.
Cassidy is excited about these opportunities offered to her students who chose to study a language other than English. She says knowing additional languages and cultures can also provide an edge when students begin looking for work.
When preparing to meet potential employers, students need to ask themselves, “What is going to make me stand out?” The answer, according to Cassidy, is the ability to communicate in a second language. “Students entering a business field with knowledge of an additional language not only have the upper hand in landing a job, but they also tend to make more money,” she notes.
See the complete list of languages at UW-La Crosse at www.uwlax.edu/modern-languages/