Recognize these alumni? If not, check back as we will continue to feature alumni throughout the year. Maybe one of your fellow classmates will be next!

Julie studied at Le Centre d'Avignon for a semester with a concentration in Art and Philosophy. She feels that her experience in Avignon has been a pivotal point in her life, fulfilling a life-long dream from her childhood to live in France. After graduating college, Julie returned to France with a "one-way ticket" hoping never to leave Europe again. Julie first spent a couple of years in Nice and later made other towns in Italy and Spain her home. Currently, Julie lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where designs custom interior decoration objects in glass (specifically glass chandeliers, lamps and objets d'art) for her business, Illuminata Glass.

Julie continues to keep up her French with the many Francophiles and foreigners who live in Santa Fe. Julie hopes to return to France one day to work in a glass studio to experience another cultural exchange.

View photo: Julie at her glass studio in Santa Fe, NM.

Jonathan credits his semester abroad at Le Centre d'Aix with opening his mind to a world of possibilities. After his semester abroad, Jonathan knew that he wanted to work and live abroad again. Between early 1998 and late 2000, Jonathan worked for ABB Equity Ventures based in Zurich, Switzerland, a job which sent him all over Europe as well as to Morocco, India, Jordan and other exciting destinations. After two and half wonderful years of living in Europe, Jonathan returned to the US to get his MBA at the University of Chicago. He moved to New York City upon completing his MBA where he currently works in investment banking for Bear Stearns.

In the spring of 2000, IAU was honored to have Jonathan return to the Centre d'Aix. He took great pleasure in speaking to current students about translating their experience with IAU into an overseas job. We are very grateful to Jonathan for volunteering his time to speak on this very important topic for study abroad students.

After Doug's return from Aix, he worked for a number of years as a science and technology teacher at Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey. Upon a visit to France several years after his study abroad experience, he proposed to his wife, Mary, on a cool spring evening outside a café in the old section of Aix-en-Provence. In 2001, Doug received a Master's Degree in Technology in Education from Harvard, and after a brief stint working for a technology startup doing online education, he is now planning to return to the independent schools as a Director of Technology. Doug and his wife have two beautiful children: Michael, who is four and loves books, and Malia, who is two and according to her father is "as feisty as the devil herself". Malia attends a bi-lingual French-English school in Boston. When her parents asked how they pronounce her name in French at school, she says it's "assieds-toi". Doug will always cherish his time at IAU for how it inspired him by forever instilling in him a love for cool spring days, lingering Sunday countryside meals, and peals of laughter in the cathedral.

Even 18 years after her study abroad experience with IAU, Eve still finds that IAU is part of her everyday life. As a consultant to high-tech companies in the Denver area, she teaches her clients the technical, linguistic and cultural aspects they must consider for success in adapting their products to overseas markets.

Eve believes that attending IAU in the mid-80’s truly shaped who she is today, both personally and professionally. The challenge of learning a new language and culture while in Aix helped her to realize that she is up to conquering any obstacle life could throw in her way. As well, her academic year in Aix prepared her for graduate school in France where she earned a DESS and met her French husband, Reynald. After 5 years of marriage, Eve and Reynald made their very own contribution to Franco-American relations…their son, Luka, was born October 2002. Luka is already enrolled in a Bébé Alliance class at the Alliance Française in Denver where Eve and Reynald are active members.

Teri recently married her husband Tom with whom she shares a 10-acre farm with his three children ages 8, 15 and 17 as well as their three dogs, birds, and fish. An avid gardener, traveler and aspiring cook, Teri has worked for Grainger Industrial Supply since 1999. Currently, she works as a Program Manager within Grainger Global Sourcing. She is responsible for resourcing the company's private label programs which affords her the opportunity to add China and Taiwan to her passport. Teri has fortunately had many opportunities to return to Aix since her student days. This coming November, Teri will be speaking in Aix to our Fall 2003 class on International Business.

Nostalgia drew Linda back to France in 1974 where she audited classes at the French university in Aix, traveled across the Sahara desert with a convoy of date trucks and met her husband Jean-Luc. They were later married in the ancient crypt of St. Victor in Marseille and for two years lived in LeCorbusier’s Cité Radieuse. Linda and Jean-Luc later moved to the states and after 12 years in Minneapolis, France called them home again…this time, in 1991, to Fontainebleau. Linda cherishes the art history classes she took while there as well as the fortunate circumstances which allowed her to work at the Louvre with several curators in the Middle Eastern antiquities department.

Linda and Jean-Luc are now back in Provence. Their children share their sense of adventure, daughter Lauren (24) is on an eight month backpacking world trek and son, Roman (22) is studying in Spain and Brazil.

View photo: Linda with son Roman at home in Mougins, near Cannes

An Accountant with Target Corporation, Melissa keeps busy remodeling her 80 year old home in Minneapolis with husband Chris. Since having taken up running last year she has completed her first half marathon and looks forward to attempting the Twin Cities Marathon this fall.

Marti (Meuche)Sullivan, Academic Year, 1971-72, Aix

When not working as the Director of Development for Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco, Marti is very active member in her community. Formerly a member of the Board of the Friends and Foundation of the San Francisco Library and the San Francisco Symphony, Marti currently volunteers her time as a Sustainer in the Junior League of San Francisco.

Together with husband her husband Ron, they have restored an 1886 Victorian house where they live with their two children, Maria (20), a sophomore at UCLA, and Michael (18) who will be a freshman at University of San Francisco in the fall.

Her husband, an attorney who specializes in International Project Finance, travels all over the world, and at times Marti and their children join him. Thanks to early exposure, Marti’s family feels very comfortable in the international community. Her daughter, fluent in both French and Spanish, will study art history in Rome this fall. Her son will travel for two weeks in France, Germany and the Netherlands this summer with friends. Marti remembers her experience at IAU as not only fun and academically rewarding, but also as having given her a broader perspective of world events and opinions.

Studying at IAU was the first step in what was to become a career as a professional tourist in the French-speaking world for Brooke. After mastering French and the arts of expatriation--and remembering to complete his BA at Virginia-Brooke wanted to live abroad again for more of the same. He worked with the USAID Missions in Rwanda, Niger, and Chad thereafter he worked on African issues in Washington. Most recently, Brooke had been posted as a Political Officer at the US Embassies in Tunis until July 2002. Brooke is currently posted to the US Embassies in Paris. Brooke met his wife Dana at the end of her Peace Corps service in Niger. Together they have a 15 year old son Jesse.

After returning to the states from Aix-en-Provence, Albert completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Davidson College and moved to Boston, MA, where he met his fiancé, Kathleen. Currently a partner of the Berkwits/Toto Group at Merrill Lynch, Albert provides comprehensive wealth management and private banking services to families of significant wealth. He continues to enjoy golf and has recently taken an interest in sailing.

IAU not only helped Albert to gain an appreciation for French culture; it has offered him some friendships that continue to enrich his life. Albert looks forward to returning to Aix in the future, to share the brilliance of the city with Kathleen and to enjoy one more sandwich from Mick at the Big Potato!

After returning from Aix, Vicki completed a degree in French and Education and subsequently taught high school French. She later chose to pursue an MBA, with a marketing concentration. Now single, Vicki lives in Mountain View, CA (Silicon Valley), where she markets Architects & Engineers. Vicki attributes her year in France as having broadened her world-view and having given her a lasting appreciation for all things French. Proud of her very talented son, Patrick Scott [Duffee-Braun] Vickers, Vicki is delighted for him that he will shortly complete an MA in creative writing.

View Photo: Vicki and son Patrick.