Former students and what they are up to...

DR. Jennifer Jahn                                                                 

Jennifer just graduated from Cambridge (2009) and is a specialist in French Caribbean Literature by Women. Check her profile :

 ProfileJenJahn.doc

Chelsea Binnie graduated from Ohio University on June 10, 2006, with a BA in Creative Writing English and a minor in French. I am working on a MA in Corporate Communication at Duquesne University and am scheduled to graduate on December 17, 2009. I was accepted into the Ph.D. program in Rhetoric at Duquesne University and will commence work on this degree in January 2010.  I will work toward obtaining a Ph.D. in Rhetoric with emphasis on Integrated Marketing Communication and Interpersonal and Organizational Communication. I am currently working as a graduate (teaching/research) assistant for the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Duquesne University.
My ultimate passion lies with language, specifically in the art of translation. I aspire to undertake the study of human communication, engaged through the lens of intercultural communication, so as to delineate how narrative ground is lost, gained, or redefined through cross-cultural, literary, verbal and nonverbal communicative experiences and practices amongst different groups. My interest in this topic was initially birthed through exposure to and study of the French language, and was fully ignited as a result of studying abroad in Martinique. I would also like to integrate the study of language and translation with the corporate realm so as to examine its implications on today's global marketplace. I am currently working independently with the French language and plan to engage in study of Italian during January 2010 in order to lay framework to further the conversation and contribute to the study of this field.


 

Yoko Kinoshita

I am a alumni of OU (2003). I took French classes with Yolande Helm and helped her  organize a "conférence sur le SIDA avec Barbara Samson" in 2003. In Dr. Helm' class, we read Barbara Samson's autobiographical novel, On n'est pas sérieux quand on a 17 ans (about a young woman who learns she is HIV positive). Currently,  I own four Spanish restaurants in Kyoto, Japan. www. http://www.elfogon.jp/. I am studying to be a sommelière and learning about French wine a lot.
I got married in 2004 and my son, Sol is 3 years old.

Claire Gilbert

Claire attended Northwestern University and graduated in 2008 with a B.A. in Communication Studies and a dual major in Political Science. After Northwestern, she spent a year working as a Human Capital Analyst in Human Resource Transformation at Deloitte Consulting in Chicago. Claire then decided to pursue a PhD, and she is currently a doctoral candidate in Higher Education at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include information technology and higher education, higher education policy, and intra-institutional collaboration. 

Bethany Untied 

 I took several grammar and literature courses with Dr. Helm, and then we became great friends. Of course, the class that stands out in my mind was our wonderful trip to Martinique. Dr. Helm did an amazing job organizing the most interesting excursions for us, including a rendez-vous with the late great Aimé Césaire, co-founder of the Black literary and political movement, "La Négritude." We were also extremely honored to be given a tour of the volcanic ruins of Saint-Pierre by Suzanne Dracius, an amazing "écrivaine martiniquaise" whose works we read in our literature class. Dr. Helm also inspired my interest in the novels of Amélie Nothomb, who is one of my favorite authors. I read all of her books I could get my hand on while I was teaching English in primary school of Besançon, France, the year after my graduation from OU (2006). Currently, I am finishing up my thesis for my Masters Degree in French Linguistics from the University of Alabama (It's on French Cyberlanguage). I am getting married in June in Australia...  I found my "chevalier blanc" form "the land down under," then we will be moving for a year. I hope to teach French and yoga until they drag me away kicking and screaming! Merci mille fois, Dr. Helm, for your inspiring courses and your highly contagious "joie de vivre."!

Govanna Mignosa

Autobiographical Sketch:  Giovanna E. Mignosa

November – December 2004 Martinique Study Abroad Participant

 

Giovanna Mignosa was born and raised in Sicily, Italy.  In 2004 earned her Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate, she graduated from Ohio University (OU) on June 2005 with a BS in Communication, a BA in French, and a minor in Art.  On June 2007 she graduated from the same university with an MA in Communication, Multimedia, and an MA in Art History, presenting a written and copyrighted Thesis and a Digital Reconstruction on the Adoration of the Magi Tondo located at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. 

Throughout the years,  she has also taught Art History courses at Ohio University and at the American University in Paris, France.  She also served as the Curator and Program Manager of the Lindley Cultural Center at Ohio University where she coordinated and planned special exhibits by local, national and international artists.

She had the opportunity to study abroad three times while at OU:  in Tours, France for a quarter; in Fort-De-France, Martinique during a winter intersession; and in fifteen (15) Italian cities during the summer months of June and July 2005.

For the past thirteen years she has worked in various departments at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland and from 2007 until today she has served as Project Manager and Coordinator for several K-12 projects specific to NASA GRC and renowned nationally as well. 

In her spare time she loves to travel around the world; learn about different cultures, traditions and languages; she loves Latin dancing; enjoys baking, photography, watching movies, animation and 3D modeling; the arts; she loves quotes, nature, gardening, sports, volunteering, reading and writing.  

About the Martinique Study Abroad Experience:

“To this day I am still dreaming of being in the sunny island of Martinique, both in the program, and with my host family.  The program allowed me to learn about a different culture, exposed to the Creole language, the different traditions and costumes.  I felt very welcomed in Martinique and at home.  Until today I still keep in touch with my host family and am counting the days until the next time I can go back and bring my family and boyfriend.  I cannot stop thinking about the four weeks spent on the island, learning first hand about this exotic culture, meeting the unbelievably humble Aimee Cesair, the wonderful Suzanne Dracius, discovering the many places where history took place in Martinique, learning la Biguine, and so much more.  Living in Ohio, when having I am having a ‘gloomy day’ I think back of my time in Martinique, and when there are days where things seem impossible I get reminded of my host-mom Nelly and her brave and courageous heart.”