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Major: Double Majoring in French and Francophone studies and Political Science with concentrations in Comparative Politics and International Relations
Overseas study or project: Institut National Du Service Public (INSP)
Overseas location(s): Strasbourg, France

What led you to apply for this overseas study or project?

While studying abroad at Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Strasbourg (Sciences Po), I wanted to further understand the political intricacies of Strasbourg. I was looking for an internship where I could do this, and was given a recommendation by my program coordinator in Strasbourg that led me to apply and interview to be an intern during the spring and summer of 2022 at INSP. I had known that I wanted to stay in France for the summer after my study abroad, because who doesn’t want to summer in France, but I also wanted to be pursuing an opportunity that would further my academic and professional interests and goals. INSP gave me this opportunity.

What did you do while on your overseas study or project?

While at INSP, I worked for pôle des cycles long de formation and the pôle langues et international. Working in the pôle des cycles long de formation, I primarily did translations, created PowerPoints, and created schedules for the student groups. For the pôle langues et international, my main assignments were researching for the language professors, exam prep, and vocabulary lists. At INSP, I tried to interact with as many of the different student groups and departments as I could. I had meetings or sat in on classes of the different student groups, as well as attended lectures from diplomats studying at the institution. Furthermore, I interviewed with a variety of different department heads to continue broadening my understanding of INSP.

What did you learn that surprised you?

The thing that I learned that surprised me the most at INSP was the government connections within the institution. When INSP was first recommended to me, I had never heard of it before. After doing a lot of research, I was in awe of the diplomatic connections that seemed to be the specialty of INSP. It felt like peeking behind a curtain of diplomacy that I had never known existed, before I started working at INSP. The fact that Jacques Chirac, François Hollande, and Emmanuel Macron all went there is enough for anyone to do a double take. However, when I discovered the network of international government officers attending INSP, it was another realization of the impact that INSP has on the international stage, never mind how integral it is to the French government.

 What was your favorite part of this experience?

My favorite part of my experience at INSP was meeting all the people: students, professors, and staff.  Everyone was incredibly kind, and I felt like I was constantly learning new things, which is the best kind of environment to work in. 

What advice or guidance would you offer future students?

Before approaching an opportunity, always do research so you are prepared before you apply, interview, or start. When you start, always go in with open expectations and enthusiasm.

Major: French and Comparative Literature
Overseas study or project: six week summer program at the Institute of Avignon
Overseas location(s): Avignon, France

What led you to apply for this overseas study or project?

As a French major at Bryn Mawr it was important to me that I have an immersive experience during my time at the college. Because of COVID, study abroad was more challenging to fit into my four years of undergrad, so I decided to attend the Institute of Avignon because of its close connection to Bryn Mawr’s French department.

What did you do while on your overseas study or project?

While at the Institute of Avignon, I took two graduate level French classes. In both of these courses I had the opportunity to study with graduate and doctoral students from different schools in the US, and to take courses from professors at different institutions. These courses allowed me to practice my French at a higher level. It was exciting to have the chance to study French at a higher level while living in France, as it pushed both my academic and conversational French so that both became more natural to me. The program also took us on weekend trips around the region of Provence, so that as I was studying I was also given the opportunity to explore new places.

What did you learn that surprised you?

In France, I was surprised by the visible history where I was living. This was my first time in Europe, and I was shocked to find the layers of architecture. Particularly living in Avignon, and exploring the south of France, I was exposed to medieval architecture, Roman architecture, and historic buildings that dated from seemingly every period in between. On program field trips, we would bus through cities and past crumbling castles in the same ten minutes. As an American, I am almost never exposed to buildings that predate the seventeenth century, so it was incredible to have so many just on my daily commute to classes.

What was your favorite part of this experience?

I loved having the opportunity to live independently in Avignon. While host families can be great for immersion, I found that living in an apartment intended for student housing meant that I was able to interact with French students just as I was able to interact with American students on my program. I was also able to experience what it is really like to live in Avignon, because I was living in the center of the city, and was able to walk anywhere I wanted easily. I figured out where to stop and buy groceries, and where to pick up a sandwich or a coffee in between classes, and I chatted with people on my way. I made friends with a restaurant owner on my street, and I stopped to chat with him on my way home from the grocery store in the evenings. Because I was living independently, I pushed myself to create a routine and a small community for myself, and that gave me a much fuller abroad experience than I would have been able to have otherwise. It allowed me to more fully embrace the culture in which I was living.

What advice or guidance would you offer future students?

I would tell future students to take full advantage of the opportunities that Bryn Mawr offers. There are so many study abroad opportunities and grants that are offered through the college, or that professors will help students find, and I would encourage students to be confident and use their resources to apply.

Major: History major and French and History of Art double minor
Overseas study or project: six week summer program at the Institute of Avignon
Overseas location(s): Avignon, France

Despite the fact that I have studied French for nearly a decade, I had never been to France, nor any Francophone country, before this program.

It’s fair to say that the program changed my life: spending six weeks living in a medieval French walled city, taking intensive college classes, and experiencing Provençal life strengthened my French language skills and let me engage with French culture in a way I’d never experienced before.

My favorite part of the program was our weekly excursions: we kayaked under the ancient Roman Pont du Gard, visited the medieval ruins at Les Baux-de-Provence, and saw the courtyards and buildings painted by Vincent Van Gogh in Arles. I learned something new and wonderful every day! As a History major and History of Art minor with a focus on the early modern period, it was incredible to picnic next to the twelfth-century Palais des Papes, wander through ancient neighborhoods, and visit churches which had been in continuous use since the eighth century.

Most importantly, though, I gained a level of confidence in my French which was unimaginable before this program. While the program had its ups and downs, I would advise any student who has the opportunity to study abroad to do it!

Major: Psychology
Overseas study or project: Institut d’Avignon
Overseas location(s): Avignon, France

What led you to apply for this overseas study or project?

This program stood out because I wanted to improve my language skills, explore new cultures, and live in a new city. Because this program was through the Bryn Mawr French department, I was confident that the chosen professors would help me refine my language skills and teach well-rounded courses that interested me.

What did you do while on your overseas study or project?

I took classes every day and explored the city of Avignon as well as the greater region of Southern France. I also was fortunate enough to live with a host family who taught me their personal family traditions and way of life. I spent most of my time tackling the difficult readings I was assigned and completing assignments, as well as finding my favorite places in the city to grab a meal or a pastry.

What did you learn that surprised you?

I learned a lot of valuable lessons about myself and how I interact with new people. I am fortunate enough to say that I was able to build deep relationships during my time in Avignon, but more importantly, I was able to grow into a more mature, capable, and self-sufficient person while navigating a new city with a new language.

What was your favorite part of this experience?

My favorite part of this experience was living with my host parents and becoming a part of their extended family. Being supported by such amazing people while I navigated my time in Avignon was such a privilege that it made my experience so comforting and welcoming. I also enjoyed the excursions that the program took us on to see towns that I likely would not have been able to without the program structure.

What advice or guidance would you offer future students?

If you are considering pursuing time abroad and challenging yourself in a new environment, while the adjustment is difficult, it will be worth it. The barriers that you face will teach you how to become more resilient and independent, which will only serve you for the better in the future! If you plunge yourself into these experiences, you will learn so much about yourself and the world around you, and you will come out of that experience having made friendships that outlast your time abroad and more importantly, becoming more confident in yourself. 

Major: Mathematics
Overseas study or project: Institut d’Avignon
Overseas location(s): Avignon, France

What led you to apply for this overseas study or project?

I have taken quite a few French classes during my time at Bryn Mawr and truly grew to love the department. My Bryn Mawr and Haverford French professors have really pushed me to continue studying French and to even go to France to continue my studies. My mother and her family are French and Algerian. Growing up and visiting her family I would speak French intermittently but never with any consistency. I grew up hearing my parents speak French and loved the language, but never really spoke French to them. I was never fully immersed in the language and culture, so when my professors told me about the Institut d’Avignon I knew I needed to apply.

What did you do while on your overseas study or project?

This summer I went to Avignon, France with Bryn Mawr’s French study abroad program–the Institut d’Avignon. While in Avignon I took two French classes–one of which was a theater class. Avignon is a city with a rich, artistic culture. The city hosts a theater festival every summer in which thousands of shows are performed by artists from all around the world. Taking this theater class allowed me to participate in the festival as not just a spectator but as a working member of the shows. My theater professor put on two shows for the Institut d’Avignon community, both of which I was able to act in as Lucienne from Le Dindon and Annette from Le Dieu du Carnage.

What did you learn that surprised you?

I learned how easy and rewarding it can be to try new things–things you never thought you would be able to live and experience. I never thought that I would have the confidence to perform in a theater production, especially one done entirely in French, but I did it–twice. I had the best summer in a foreign country making new friends, living with old ones, and trying new things. I can now confidently say that I can go out into the world to new places and speak new languages all on my own.

What was your favorite part of this experience?

My favorite part of this experience was reconnecting with my mom’s language, living where she lived, and seeing her old friends. I was able to speak the language she grew up speaking everyday growing more and more confident in speaking it. My favorite day of the trip was when I was able to see my mom’s old college friend from Marseilles. We spoke French all day talking about my experience in France and her experience in America. We went to Arles and she showed me the old Roman ruins, we went to the beach, and we saw a Provencal costume festival.

What advice or guidance would you offer future students?

I would tell them to use their resources and be sure to talk to their professors. I could not have gone to France without the support of my professors. They wrote me recommendation letters, told me about possible scholarships, and gave me advice for living in France as an American student. I would also tell them not to give up! All of the deadlines and essays can be daunting, but with help from your friends, family, and professors it is possible.

Major: International Studies
Overseas study or project: Institut d’Avignon
Overseas location(s): Avignon, France

Lillian Ernst ‘24 began learning French during her first semester at 91���˶������, and following the Intensive French language program allowed her to earn the opportunity to study abroad at the Institut d’Avignon in the Summer of 2022. Known for its intensive pace and immersive quality over the course of six weeks during the peak of the summer heat, Lillian knew she was choosing to spend her summer studying rigorously. 

After two years speaking French only in a classroom, the Institut d’Avignon offered Lillian the chance to gain confidence speaking, thinking, and writing at a fast pace in French both colloquially and academically.

“I was surrounded by the language, and not just while walking the streets. Living with a host family meant the first and last conversation I had each day was in French. Cashiers and waiters didn’t speak English too frequently, so whereas in a metropolitan area you can get by with English, in Avignon you rely on French.”

While intimidating, this unique environment allowed Lillian to grow in her language skills.

“It was in week three that I had my first dream in French—broken French, but French nonetheless. I knew the program was changing my relationship with the language as soon as I woke up that morning.”

The program took place during the annual Festival d’Avignon, a local theater festival that brings life to the streets for over a month.

“The streets were crowded, but every day you walk past performance art—cellos, violins, a cappella groups, acrobats, and everything in between. I had the opportunity to see a rendition of Le Petit Prince, which was incredibly nostalgic.” 

But Lilian's favorite part was the community she found.

“This program attracts some of the kindest, most hard working people I have ever had the joy to meet. With all the students at all different levels of French, conversing was learning. Even relaxing at a restaurant was an opportunity for us to speak French together, which we did! The people I spent time with wanted to be immersed in the language, so we made a point to be. Choosing this program was choosing hard work with visible pay-off, and a beautiful summer in the south of France.”

Major: Mathematics (intended)
Program: Korea-American Student Conference
Location: Online via Zoom (due to COVID-19)

Abhirami Suresh '24 used the funding to attend the Korea-America Student Conference virtually and was part of its executive committee. Learn more.