Student Spotlights

We are immensely proud of all our alumnae and alumni. Over the years, our graduates have gained admission to M.A. and Ph.D. programs at EHESS (France), IAU Aix-en-Provence (France), Institut d'études politiques/Sciences Po Paris (France), Georgetown University, New York University, Panthéon-Sorbonne and Sorbonne University (France), Texas Tech University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Minnesota, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, and many other institutions. Other alums have gone on to build impactful careers in education, artificial intelligence, business and finance, cultural affairs and diplomacy, governmental and non-governmental organizations, law, and many other fields. Additionally, French at Baylor proudly showcases a significant number of Fulbright and TAPIF finalists and recipients (scroll down for a list of recent awardees). Below, you will find some concrete examples of their achievements. 

Caroline Pullella

Caroline Pullella (pictured at the Palais Garnier Opera house in Paris) is from Portland, Oregon. She graduated in December 2023 with a double major in French and Political Science. She began studying French at 13 years old with her mother at the Alliance Française de Portland. From conversations and lessons with French-expats in the US, she developed a love for French culture and the challenge of languages, which she continued to study at Baylor.

Caroline says, “Some of my favorite classes were French linguistics and phonetics with Dr. Boerm. After primarily learning French through immersion, I found these courses explaining the mechanics and sounds of language captivating and complementary to my understanding of both the French language itself and different cultures connected to it.”

After a study abroad program in Florence, Italy, in the summer of 2022, she spent her junior spring and summer semesters in Paris with Baylor’s CUPA (Center for University Programs Abroad) exchange program. During that time, she lived with a Parisian host family, studied at the Sorbonne, completed an internship on International Education with Accent Global Learning, and went to as many theatre and opera events as humanly possible in eight months, all of which confirmed her love for the city and desire to return after graduating. Caroline is currently living in Paris, finishing her master’s degree in European Affairs at Sciences Po (Paris) with a traineeship at the International Chamber of Commerce. Her current work focuses on digital regulation. She enjoys working in an international setting, collaborating with organizations such as the UN and the OECD on such a rapidly evolving policy area, but still manages to find time to go to the theatre.

Looking back on her years at Baylor, Caroline says, “I am extremely grateful for all the support I received from the French and Italian faculty during my time at Baylor. Studying French at Baylor not only strengthened my language skills but also provided me with opportunities and international communication skills that led me to places I could have never imagined.”

Santiago Montaño

Santiago Montaño (pictured at the Palais Garnier Opera house in Paris) is a native of Mexico City who graduated in December 2020 with a double major in French and Mathematics. He started learning French during his freshman year at Baylor and, after participating in the Baylor in Paris program, he gained a strong appreciation for the language and chose to pursue French as a secondary major. 

Santi says, “Being fluent in Spanish made French a little easier to learn, and I started treating sentence structure as a math equation, which was a neat way of connecting French to my mathematics major.” 

After graduating, Santi participated in the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF), living in Denain, France, where he immersed himself in the northern regional language and culture. He now resides in Charlottesville, Virginia, and plans to complete a master’s degree in linguistics at UVA by 2028. Currently, he works as an Operations Quality Assurance Lead, overseeing a team of QA testers at an AI startup.

Looking back on his years at Baylor, Santi says, “The French faculty at Baylor was and continues to be extremely supportive and encouraging. Studying French at Baylor opened unique doors for me that have led to where I am today. My first job after TAPIF, I was placed on the AI team because of my French-speaking abilities. The company at my second job works with a French entity to develop AI solutions for their processes. France and the French language have an active presence in the world of AI, and speaking French has advanced my career in ways that I did not expect.”

Jared Cook

Jared Cook (pictured at the cathedral in Nancy, France) is a Baylor alumnus from Houston, Texas, who majored in French and Organ Performance. He decided to study French because he already spoke Spanish, and he became fascinated with French and Francophone culture. Jared had been attracted to the organ since he was a child. “I was exposed to the organ in church growing up, and loved the power of the instrument.” He began formal study of the organ in his junior year of high school. “I had a strong piano background that really made the transition to the organ a lot easier.”

As a result of auditioning at Baylor, he received a full scholarship to the university.  While at Baylor, he was able to meet renowned organists from France and all over the world who came to give master classes as guests of the university. He later kept in contact with these artists and even developed personal and professional friendships with them.  He was thus able to study with Johann Vexo, the Choir Organist at Notre-Dame de Paris.  While he was studying with the Baylor in Paris program in the summer of 2018, Jared studied once or twice a week with M. Vexo at Notre-Dame de Paris, Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux in Paris, and the Cathedral of Nancy in France.

In addition, Jared has had the opportunity to play organs in other famous venues in France, including the Palace of Versailles, l’Abbaye de Saint-Ouen in Rouen, the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix in Orléans, and the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-l’Annonciation et Saint-Sigisbert in Nancy. 

Jared enjoyed his studies in French at Baylor and feels that his courses in French Conversation and French Grammar helped him develop confidence in speaking and enhanced his fluency. He profited greatly from having to constantly talk to people, including his host family, during his participation in the Baylor in Paris program.  After his graduation in May 2020, Jared planned to pursue a graduate degree in music or begin a career in the airline industry. He is currently working for Delta Air Lines. He rates the French faculty at Baylor as second to none, affirming that they “really helped me develop a passion for the French language and culture. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunities they've given me.” 

Sarah Carr

Born in Leesburg, Virginia, and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Sarah Carr (pictured at the Sorbonne in Paris) considers the Midwest home. Sarah graduated in May 2019 with a major in French and Spanish. Her passion for languages instilled in her an intense desire to study abroad—first in Madrid, Spain, in the spring of 2017, and then in Paris, France in the fall of 2018. Her two experiences abroad differed greatly, but she was impressed by how much national identity influenced personal identity, especially in France. This insight made her reflect on what it means to be an American and how her own nationality influences her identity.

Speaking about her interest in languages, Sarah said, “Language is such a critical tool for cross-cultural communication, and once my Spanish-speaking friends helped teach me that, I decided to also study French in order to delve deeper into one of my other passions, art (particularly cinema). French culture is rich and vast, and since French is spoken throughout the globe, I now have a key to open doors outside of France.”

"Some of my favorite classes at Baylor were French Cinema with Dr. Bratu and the History of Paris with Dr. Uber, because the material we covered was incredibly relevant to my semester in Paris.  These classes enriched my appreciation for the city and the cinematic heritage there."

After graduation, Sarah left for France to become an assistant teacher of English at a school in Orléans through T.A.P.I.F., the Teaching Assistant Program sponsored by the French government. She later completed an M.A. in French at the Sorbonne, one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Her long-time goal is to teach French and Spanish in an immersion school or a university. She thus hopes to help shape the next generation into becoming passionate and bilingual global citizens.

Looking back on her time at Baylor, Sarah realizes the tremendous importance of community. She sees the French faculty as being truly instrumental in expanding her horizons and motivating her to grow. She believes that she would not be where she is today if it were not for them.

TAPIF & Fulbright Honorees

2026

Fulbright recipient:

• Emma Irwin, Master’s in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action, France

TAPIF recipients: 

• Sydney Boonstra
• Sarah Davis

2025

TAPIF recipients:

• Devon Bolton
• Claire Claypool
• Anna Couch
• Jordan Gruendler
• Antonio Hundley
• Julia Osborne

Fulbright recipients:

• Devon Bolton, Morocco
• Kathleen Quinn, Neuroscience major and French minor, Ireland

Fulbright finalists:

• Devon Bolton, Morocco
• Felise Bressler, Canada
• DeChana Dandridge, Madagascar
• Emma Irwin, France
• Kathleen Quinn, Ireland

2024

TAPIF recipients:

• Bailey Day
• August Noe
• Sage Yassa

Fulbright recipient:

• Emily O’Kief, University Scholar with concentrations in philosophy, history and French; English Teaching Assistant award to Serbia

Fulbright finalists:

• Chana Dandridge, English Teaching Assistant Award to Madagascar
• Caroline Pullella, France