Six Boise State French students have been accepted into the Teaching Assistant Program in France (also called TAPIF), a prestigious program that places anglophone university graduates in French public schools as English language assistants for an academic year. The highly competitive offering from the French Embassy and Villa Albertine requires students to be native English speakers with at least an intermediate proficiency level in French, allowing them to communicate with teachers, administrators and students.

The recent grads will be heading to various cities across France, including Nantes, Poitiers and Grenoble, with placements in the Académie de Clermont-Ferrand and Aix-Marseille. Together, they represent a growing tradition of Boise State World Languages students taking their language skills beyond the classroom and into the world.

Lauren Smith, who will be placed in Poitiers, is especially excited about her school assignment, a technical high school specializing in hospitality, gastronomy and tourism that features an on-site training restaurant and hotel. "As someone who has always had a love for food and tourism, I'm so excited to be teaching in a school that specializes in these areas," she said.

Hunter Howerton, heading to Grenoble, is looking forward to the connections he'll make. "Not only will I be meeting lots of French people, but also other language assistants from all over the world," he said.

Dylan Jamison, assigned to the Académie de Clermont-Ferrand, sees the experience as a career asset regardless of which direction his future takes. "Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is a major asset, and having international work on your resume is proof to any future employers that you are independent and resilient."

Sofia Blenkinsop is thrilled to be placed in the heart of Marseille, in the lavender-layered region of Provence, where she will work between two professional-focused high schools.

Trinity Witek is excited to be placed in the Académie de Nantes, where coincidentally, Boise State French Lecturer Brittney Gehrig spent her memorable 2015 TAPIF year. Gehrig is grateful for the vast network of TAPIF alumni that she continues to connect with in the international French-speaking community, and encourages her students to think about the possibility of living and working abroad from day one of French classes at Boise State.

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