When the opportunity to help teach the English language in France for four weeks presented itself, Arkansas Tech University student Rose Gunther was quick to raise her hand.
“I had never traveled far from Arkansas before, let alone outside the United States, so the opportunity to explore a completely new place was incredibly exciting,” said Gunther, an agriculture business student from Bigelow who will be a senior at ATU in 2025-26. “I have always loved meeting new people and experiencing different cultures, and this trip offered the perfect chance to do both. Plus, it was one of the more affordable study abroad options, especially considering we got to stay for a full four weeks.”
Philippe Y. Van Houtte, ATU visiting lecturer of French and systems librarian, served as the faculty leader for the Arkansas Tech delegation to France from May 10-June 9.
Gunther and four of her fellow ATU students — Mason Condley of Appleton, Angeles Diaz of Springdale, Boston Orrick of Ozark and Noelia Santos of Hot Springs — spent three days per week helping students in grades 7-12 at Institution Sainte-Geneviève in Asnières, France, learn to speak English. The ATU students led activities and conversations in English to help the French students develop their skills in a second language.
As part of an exchange of good deeds secured with Institution Sainte-Geneviève by Van Houtte, the school identified host families that provided living accommodations for the ATU students while they were in France.
In addition to their teaching responsibilities, the ATU delegation also spent three days per week visiting the major attractions in Paris — including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre — and the surrounding region. The remaining day each week was spent with their host families to further immerse themselves in French culture.
“Coming from a small town where I interact with the same kind of people every day, I used to think people in other countries were completely different with unusual habits, different languages and a lifestyle I could not relate to,” said Gunther. “But after this trip, I realized how human we all are. We laugh the same, we stress over homework the same and, yes, we even argue the same…though I will admit, arguments are a little harder to follow in French.”
One of the highlights of the trip was an opportunity for Van Houtte and the ATU students to visit the Paris Observatory. Their tour of the facility was led by astrophysicists who visited ATU and Russellville for the total solar eclipse in April 2024.
“This trip changed a lot for me,” said Gunther. “I now enjoy a wider variety of different types of food, I have started styling my clothes a little differently and I have noticed just how big everything feels back home in the U.S., especially buildings and meal portions. But the most meaningful shift was in my faith. Staying with a host family that prioritized their Catholic faith, especially through attending mass together, made me reflect on how much of my own practice had become routine. It was a beautiful opportunity to grow spiritually and connect with new people in my faith across the world.”
The ATU students ventured outside the boundaries of Paris to visit the châteaux of Fontainebleau, Vincennes and Versailles.
Gunther will remember it all, including the students she taught, the relative lack of cars in Paris and the historic castles and churches. She is looking forward to encouraging more Arkansas Tech students to pursue similar opportunities through the ATU Office of Study Abroad and the ATU Miller Center for Global Engagement.
“The people you will meet, the once-in-a-lifetime places you get to visit and the fresh perspective you can gain simply cannot be matched by staying in Arkansas,” said Gunther. “Plus, the study abroad office offers scholarships to make it more affordable. Being able to interact with different people can give you a competitive edge in the job market. Being in college is a unique and perfect time in life to explore the world while you still have the flexibility to do so.
“I truly loved every moment of this experience,” continued Gunther. “Not every trip will look exactly like mine, but every study abroad opportunity gives you the chance to see the world before work and responsibilities start to limit your time and budget. The people you meet along the way might even open doors to future travels or new outlooks on life. The memories, friendships and photos you come home with are unlike anything many of your friends and family have ever experienced. Personally, I hope to keep traveling and building on this amazing adventure, especially thanks to the connections I made with my host family and others during the trip.”
Learn more about the ATU Office of Study Abroad at www.atu.edu/studyabroad.
