Jacynthe Blais Jacques, a native French speaker from the Chaudière-Apalaches region of Québec, has lived and raised her family in Maine for the past 20+ years. While focusing on raising her family, she became acquainted with various local cultural and language programs and later got involved with the French Heritage Language Program activities at the Franco Center, where she taught …

My name is Kareem Djerdjouri. In September 2023, I relocated to Portland, Maine, where I started working as an ESL instructor at the Intercultural Community Center, teaching English as a second language to immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Southern Maine and helping to equip them with the skills and support they need to thrive in Maine. I was born in …