My name is Gregoire, I am 21 years old. I am from Paris, France where I spent most of my life. I have always wanted to travel abroad and see new sites. I am the French Language Assistant.
I was born in Caracas, Venezuela and lived there until I was 18 years old. Since then I came to the United States to go to college and I will graduate next year. In Caracas I went to a private German School since part of my family has German roots. As a kid, I used to travel with my parents to Europe at least once a year. I think that is why my biggest passion is traveling. My dream is that I will touch all six continents during my life.
At Grand Valley State University I am majoring in International Business and have been working as a Language Assistant at the Language House since Fall of 1998. My experience as an International Student in the United States has been wonderful. I have made lots of good friends and met wonderful people as well.
I was born in Tirana, Albania and I am 20 years old. My time in the USA has been off and on for one year. I am a freshman and double majoring in Political Science and International Business, with a minor in German.
Living in a part of the world, where you are surrounded by foreigners only a few miles a way, learning a foreign language becomes necessary if not mandatory. I grew speaking Italian and Greek, and then learned English and German. I have been able to travel extensively in many countries and languages have aided me in my travels. Not only have languages been a good tool to use in travel, but they have also helped my self-marketing. I have been able to work in some highly challenging environments (i.e. I just returned from a six month asignment with a humanitaritan organization in Kosovo, helping with the refugee crisis there) where knowing a specific language can not only become useful, but even more, it could literally be your life savior. Most organizations and businesses are growing toward a globalization trend and time has come when having a degree is just not enough, a language componenet of your academic life is always a plus. My advice: Gain as much knowledge as you can while you are young, take pride in learning a foreign language and challenge yourself to look at the world through another window. It maybe the best view you've ever had!