alum

Shayna Freed '11

Public Relations and French | Vestal, N.Y

Post-graduation plans:

I will be returning to France in late September to teach English through the Teaching Assistant Program in France, which is sponsored by the French government. There will be several SU students teaching through the same program.

Studying abroad was part of my decision in choosing a college. I’d taken French since the sixth grade and decided to study at the University of Nantes. I loved the city because it wasn’t overwhelming, but big enough that anything you were looking for was there. Not everybody spoke English, which was good. If you were struggling, they’d slow down, but they wouldn’t start speaking English like they do in Paris if you’re too slow.

I wanted to be able to speak French well because I love the language. All of my classes were in French. Two were at the university with other French students, and three were at the IES Center with American students.

I remember at one point, I realized I had stopped translating from French to English in my head. After that came the TV and radio. I’d watch House every week with my host family. That was hard, though, because of the technical words the show uses.

I took three major trips—to Paris; Sevilla, Spain; and Freiburg, Germany. It was cool to feel the transition between feeling really lost when traveling and knowing where I was. When I first went to Nantes, I stood in Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris wondering, Now where do I go? I learned that lost is not lost. You figure things out.

I have an assistantship in the Office of Cross-Cultural Programs with Professor Manning. I started an advising program for students who want to study abroad. I match them with students coming back from a GO program who are interested in mentoring others. It’s an informal way to talk to someone who’s been there.

After SU, I’d like to do PR for theatre. It would be a way to combine my interests. People who choose to be in the arts, you know that they have a passion for it. I’d enjoy working with people like that.