Class of 2009
Mindy Rosso
Mindy at Le Chantauteuil, a restaurant in Old Quebec.
Ever since I was a young girl, I have always wanted to be a teacher. When I began my studies at Washington College, I took a few classes from different subject areas because I had interests in several fields of study and I wasn't sure about what major(s) I wanted to choose. In high school, I studied French and I traveled to France during my senior year. From this, I gained a great appreciation for the French language and culture. During my first semester at Washington College, I took two advanced level French classes and I felt that the Department of Modern Languages was the perfect fit for me. The professors were so enthusiastic about the topics they were teaching, they always made class interesting, and I always felt that I had learned something new and important about the language and culture every day.
During the summer of 2008, I studied at Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada where I took three intensive French classes and lived with a French-speaking family. Coincidentally, Quebec was celebrating its 400th anniversary during my stay and I had the opportunity to observe several cultural and historical festivals and events. During my stay, I learned so much about the history and culture of Quebec and I improved my French language abilities, spoken and written.
To fulfill my senior obligation, I decided to write a thesis and I chose a topic that really interested me. Since I knew that I wanted to become a French teacher after graduation, I decided to analyze the problems that foreign language programs encounter in school districts across the United States and compare the foreign language programs in this country to those in Europe. In my concluding chapters, I proposed a program that could be implemented into a school district where the students would begin learning a second language in second grade and would continue to study it through the end of high school. My thesis helped me understand where foreign languages are placed in the curriculum in most school districts in the United States and it gave me so much insight into some of the difficulties that I could potentially encounter as a foreign language teacher.
Currently, I am teaching French for the East Brunswick Public School District in East Brunswick, New Jersey. I am extremely grateful for the four years that I spent at Washington College and for the summer that I spent in Quebec because I learned so much and I feel that I am very well prepared for my career. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with very dedicated professors in both the Department of Modern Languages and the Department of Education at Washington College. I believe that everything I learned at Washington College and during my time abroad will only help me become a better educator.
Campus Event Appearances
Look for Mindy in these event photos.