French Degrees & Programs

Bill Seiber ‘97 says, “Since graduating in 1997, I have worked in the non-profit sector with an international ministry, attended law school, and launched into a productive and rewarding career in the area of agricultural law for the Colorado Office of the Attorney General. Knowing and continuing to study French has given me the personal reward of living and traveling in France while cultivating and maintaining life-long friendships with French people. Studying a foreign language taught me more than how to speak in that language, though. Understanding a foreign tongue allows me to perceive the complexities of cultural differences and the unique gifts of cultural diversity in both work and travel. The study of language blessed me with a desire and an ability to see, hear, and even to tell the story through the eyes of another person.”

Ella Urquhart ’20 notes, “As a French student at Westmont, I was able to simultaneously pursue my love for foreign language and learn the intricacies of a different culture; my French courses better prepared me to engage with the wider world and enter into conversation with those different from me. As someone eager to live abroad again, my Westmont French experience has given me new insights at an age of great personal development—I will take with me the language skills and the greater cultural awareness I’ve developed wherever I go in the future!”