FLL Alumni News
D–H
Mary De Bree '05, Spanish
Mary De Bree is working as an assistant for Sen. Hillary Rotham Clinton in Albany,
N.Y.
Judy Fisher Decourcey '83, French
I was a business major and a French minor at Skidmore. I recognized the names of the
retired French professors and I believe I had most of them in my French studies at
Skidmore. I was the second class to study my junior year abroad in Paris (1981–1982).
I was recently at the web page reading about how the program has grown. My friend,
Pam Mowry Guild '83, and I were on work-study together and for our work, we put together
a booklet for future students to use (how to's, what to know before you go, etc.).
It was a fun project. I will always remember the importance that year played in my
life: the opportunity to live in and learn about different cultures, the opportunity
to travel to other countries, to realize that there was more than just the "bubble"
of the United States. I think it is even more important in these difficult times.
After Skidmore, I moved to Boston for six years and while living there, I earned my
MBA at Northeastern University. I now live in Canandaigua, N.Y., (south of Rochester)
and work at Rochester Institute of Technology in the Human Resources Department, where
I am the senior benefits specialist. I don't use French at all in my work, and I know
that I have forgotten most of what I learned, simply from lack of use. I have not
forgotten, however, the importance of knowing about other languages and cultures.
With two young children, overseas travel is really not a possibility for me now. But
I hope to go overseas again in the future.
My interest continues. This year, I am serving on the Foreign Language Curriculum Review Committee as a parent representative for the Canandaigua City School District. It is great to be able to play a part in this review and make recommendations for changes in the future. While it was only a one-year commitment, it is a four-year project, and I think I will continue next year as well. I feel like I can make a contribution for the future students and hope to shape their lives by this learning opportunity as well.
Alexandra DiGiacinto '13, Italian
Jocelyn Ditzel '99, French
I live in Washington, D.C., and I work at a private, nonprofit organization called
Meridian International Center. I work in the Programming Division of Meridian, and
we operate under a grant from the State Department to arrange professional programs
for international visitors who participate in the International Visition Program sponsored
by the State Department. We arrange programs for visitors from all over the world
and oftentimes I work on projects that include visitors from French-speaking countries.
I have had the opportunity to use my French skills not only at work, but when I have
traveled abroad. In fact, immediately after I graduated from Skidmore, I moved to
Paris for a year to teach English at a public high school.
Sarah Donovan '96, Spanish
Location: Hoboken, N.J.
Occupation: Professor of philosophy, Wagner College (starting Fall 2003)
Graduate Education: M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2002) in philosophy, both from Villanova
University
After graduating from Skidmore with a double major in philosophy and Spanish, I pursued graduate studies in philosophy. My graduate program required me to take two language exams—one in French and one in German. Although my graduate exams were not in Spanish, the techniques for learning a language that I acquired at Skidmore prepared me to learn a second and third foreign language. In addition to helping me with my graduate studies, speaking Spanish has enriched my life experiences both abroad and at home. I have used my language skills in situations as diverse as traveling in central America to conversing with Spanish speaking friends in my apartment building.
Erin Dunlevy '01, Spanish
My name is Erin Dunlevy. I graduated with a double major in Spanish and English in
2001. I am currently teaching Spanish in a public high school in the Bronx, N.Y. I
work with a student population that is over 60% Spanish-speaking, so I use my Spanish
every day, both in and out of school. This past year I directed a Spanglish version
of Romeo and Juliet that reflected some of the changes that are happening in the Spanish language. In
the coming year I plan to continue working while earning a master's degree in Spanish.
Erin Dunlevy
e_gug@yahoo.com
Marie Ellsworth '75, French
I graduated from Skidmore in 1975. I am now director of the Caldwell-Lake George Library.
In my spare time I am an avocational archaeologist and am educator/outreach coordinator
for the Adirondack Chapter, NYS Archaeological Association. I often participate in
excavations at French & Indian War sites. (Ft. William Henry Military Cemetery and
Fort Edward, N.Y.) and often use my French in doing documentary research on the sites.
My background in French is also useful in library work, whether answering reference
questions or assisting students from France who work in the village during the summer.
Joanna Foyle '98, French
[I] graduated a double-major in psychology and French in 1998. I currently live in
San Francisco. I went straight into work for a marketing agency and have not pursued
additional education.
I work for MPG Media Contacts, a global internet marketing company with 17 offices in 13 countries around the world. As an account director, I manage the San Francisco team and am ultimately responsible for the client relationships and work product coming out of this office. While I do believe that as the world economy and business become more global my French will become more integrated into my profession, I don't currently use it very much. We will sometimes need to purchase ad space from French websites, in which case I'm sent in to decipher the site for contact information. We do have an office in Paris (and our parent company, Havas, is headquartered in Paris). There was talk at one point of relocating me to that office, but I was reluctant to leave the States at that time (having studied in the Skidmore-abroad program in Paris, I know moving there permanently isn't as simple as just having a job!).
I still read as much French as I can get my hands on, I keep in touch with my French family with whom I lived on the Skidmore program, and I translate menus for my boyfriend in the French restaurants I drag him to! I have returned to Paris once since my stay (spring of 1999) with my aunt, who had never been, and we had a blast; my boyfriend has never been, and Paris is definitely on our list!
Mark Golden '98, Spanish
mark.golden2@juno.com
I graduated in 1998. After graduating, I spent a few years traveling around the U.S. I spent one year working with Mexican sixth and seventh graders as a bilingual teacher's assistant. I later traveled to China to study martial arts. I happened to meet my "wife to be" on the airplane. We have a 5-year-old daughter, Mariana. Along the way, I managed to get two graduate degrees in business. I currently own two wine/liquor stores in Boston.
My Spanish studies have certainly helped me in several circumstances. The knowledge attained from learning another language and understanding another culture has helped me to communicate better with people from many different cultures and backgrounds. For example, my wife is from China. She learned English as a second language. She says that I was the first person she met in America that truly understood her. Since I studied another language, I was able to understand the difficulties in expression via a second language and work through those difficulties.
Esther A. Goldschlager '00, French
I graduated in 2000. I work in the public relations department of a French advertising
agency in New York City. I was a French/psychology major at Skidmore. Email: eag1578@yahoo.com
Paul Goldsmith '05, French
I did travel abroad to Paris my junior year, the spring semester of 2004. It was the
highlight of college for me. I can't begin to count the ways in which I benefitted
from my trip to Paris. My speaking and listening skills increased greatly, and my
listening skills have stayed at a fairly high level since leaving, even without the
daily interaction with French. The confidence gained from being forced to speak French
on a daily basis, and around the clock cannot be replicated by simply taking high-level
courses. I was also subjected to another culture, which gave me a different perspective
on how societies can function differently. Studying abroad was an amazing experience
(as anyone who has done it will tell you), but it is something that needs to be done
in order to understand why everyone loves it.
I do not use my French in the workplace, although the majority of law terms are French, which allows me to understand certain terms without asking. I do use French on a fairly daily basis however, as my girlfriend is French, and we watch the French news together, and read the French newspapers.
Bettina Graves-Muto '83, Spanish
Después de graduarme de Skidmore, asistí a Boston College donde obtuve un M.A.T. (Master
of Arts in Teaching), con especialización en literatura hispana y española. En realidad
fue una continuación de los estudios que había empezado en Skidmore, pero también
se me dio la oportunidad de obtener experiencia en la enseñanza. Durante los dos años
que estudié en Boston College, pude enseñar varias clases del primer año de español
mientras cursaba mis estudios.
Al recibir mi diploma de Boston College, obtuve una posición en una escuela secundaria llamada Brooks School. Durante los ocho años que trabajé en Brooks, tuve la oportunidad de enseñar todos los niveles de español desde el primer año hasta la clase de "Advanced Placement Spanish Literature", una de mis clases favoritas. Por razones familiares, dejé la enseñanza durante un período de 6 años para dedicarme al cuidado de mis dos hijas. Hace tres años que estoy de regreso en Brooks, enseñando varias clases de español. Debo mencionar que durante los 6 años que dejé la enseñanza, trabajé en la empresa de mi esposo en mi tiempo libre. El es un distribuidor de marcapasos y también un consultor en computación. Tuve muchas oportunidades de usar el español con sus clientes y pacientes. Vivimos en un área donde hay una gran población de hispanohablantes.
Nací y me crié en Venezuela de madre venezolana y padre estadounidense, pero como asistí a una escuela internacional, nunca estudié literature hispana o española hasta que ingresé a Skidmore. La base que recibí durante aquellos cuatro años me dio un impulso excelente para continuar mis estudios, y al mismo tiempo fue la primera vez que pude apreciar la riqueza literaria del mundo hispano. Es más, frecuentemente utilizo la información que aprendî en aquellas clases de Skidmore, con mis propios alumnus.
Jane Baldwin Henzerling '97, Spanish
I live and work in Phoenix, Ariz. After graduating from Skidmore, I served as a Teach
For America corps member in Phoenix, where I earned my teaching certification with
a bilingual endorsement. Currently I am pursuing an M.Ed. in educational leadership
at Northern Arizona University.
Every day I put my knowledge of Spanish language and Hispanic culture to use as a bilingual elementary school teacher. Not only does my command of the language enable me to communicate with my students, help them acquire academic content, and aid them in improving their literacy skills in Spanish and English, it shows them and their families how much I value them and their cultural backgrounds. Given that Spanish is not my native language, it also models for students and families the importance and enjoyment of acquiring a second language.
In addition to my teaching duties, I serve as the Bilingual Program coordinator at Ed & Verma Pastor School. In this role, I coordinate language programming, student assessment, and staff development workshops related to language acquisition. I also work to influence district and state language policy to better meet the needs of English Language Learners.
Katie Huss '05, German
I graduated in 2005 with a double major in German and art history. I am currently
living in Vienna, Austria, working as an English language teaching assistant with
the Fulbright Commission. I received the position in 2005 when I graduated and chose
to remain a second year because I was enjoying myself so much. I am certainly using
my language skills now, although not so much in my job as in my day-to-day life.
I studied abroad twice while at Skidmore: once in the summer of 2003 on the SACI program
in Florence and with IES in Vienna in the fall of 2003. I found both experiences really
just whet my appetite so to speak for living and working abroad and were a major factor
in my decision to apply for jobs overseas after graduating.