Born and educated in Nantes, France, in a large family, I arrived in Maine in 1974, as the first Amity Aide at Mt Ararat School in Topsham. There, I met my husband, David Whittlesey, an English teacher. We went back to live in Nantes where I finished my literary diploma and where we got married. From there began a long …
Lisa Scali
American by birth but francophile of heart, I am delighted with the creation of this organization. I studied French in the United States during the majority of my schooling, with long stays in Poitiers and Strasbourg. After earning a Master’s degree from Columbia University in the field of international economic policy, I Work for an American bank in Paris, for …
Camden Martin
I am from Lewiston Auburn and my oirigins come from French Canada. I spent two years in higschool in the South of France in Nîmes. Furthermore, I did my superior education studying protection of the environment at Saint Félicien in the lake Saint John region of Québec. I work now at Museum LA in Lewiston, where teach anbout the industrial …
Jacqueline Bucar
An ardent Francophile, Jacqueline Bucar began her lifelong study of French, French culture, lifestyle and literature in Connecticut where she was born and lived until her retirement in 2014. She taught all levels of French at Hamden High School, a suburb of New Haven. Jacqueline brought her students on field trips to Montreal and Paris and loved watching her students …
Nathalie Gorey
Nathalie is a native French speaker, originally from Normandy, but she was born and grew up until the age of 11 in Côte d’ivoire. After graduating from the University of Angers in the Pays de Loire region of France with her Master’s degree in Applied Languages to International Business and spending her final year studying in Ireland with the Erasmus …
Jacynthe Blais
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 …
Kareem Djerdjouri
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 …
