I graduated in 2024 with a major in French, along with another major in Government and a minor in Theology. I learned about a diverse array of Francophone cultures and subjects during my four years with the Department, including Algerian literature with Professor Twohig, seventeenth-century playwrights with Professor Spielmann, medieval literature and poetry with Professor Johnson, the philosophy of Albert Camus with Professor Sobanet, and much more. Further enrichment included an internship program in Saint-Omer, France, the summer after my sophomore year, as well as a senior honors thesis on French thinkers’ influence on the development of Catholic social thought in the nineteenth century. The Department was a wonderful community, both intellectually stimulating and personally nurturing; I formed close relationships with multiple professors, both those whose courses I took and those with whom I didn’t have the chance to study formally. In addition to my academic work with the Department, I served as president of the French Cultural Association and Resident Assistant for the French Floor Living Learning Community, and loved having the chance to speak French and appreciate Francophone cultures with other students in a relaxed setting.
After my graduation, I moved to New York and worked at America Media, the Jesuit review of faith and culture, where I frequently wrote about the intersection of the Catholic faith and public life. While in New York, I also became involved with the Community of Sant’Egidio, which works to serve the poor, promote peace, and advocate on key human-rights issues (including the abolition of nuclear weapons and capital punishment) around the world. (Below is a photo from a pilgrimage to the mother community in Rome this past February!) In August, I returned to Washington to begin pursuing a master’s degree at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, after which I hope to work in peacebuilding, human rights diplomacy, or humanitarian advocacy on the international stage. In my spare time, I enjoy participating in parish life and singing in the Schola Cantorum at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, finding Washington’s best coffee shops, and coming back to visit my old Hoya home!
(11/7/2025)