Harlee Stuart

Elementary Education Major with French minor, 2013

Currently teaching elementary and French at Point Hope
From Fairbanks, Alaska

“I started studying French in high school, with no idea about where I would be going with this. As a freshman in college it was still unclear where I was going. Studying French was something I enjoyed though, so I kept taking classes. I knew about exchange programs before college, but I never seriously considered one until I entered UAF and met Dr. Yelena Matusevich. She encouraged me to study abroad and helped me through the application process. I spent a semester in Saint Étienne, France studying with other foreign exchange students.

This experience was incredible for so many different reasons. It helped me, or forced me, to practice my speaking skills. Being able to orally communicate was such a confidence booster, because I struggled so much with that in my class. I also had the opportunity to meet and make friends with other students from around the world. As a future teacher this experience with students from a wide variety of cultures will help me relate to and understand my students better. I will have these unique experiences to bring in to my classrooms and to expose my students to them. I would not have these valuable experiences if I had not gone through the French classes at UAF.”