A group of California State University, Bakersfield students will be able to spend part of their summer studying in France thanks to donor support.
The Dennis and Anne Beaver Foundation has pledged $51,500 to the university for the Beaver Family French Scholarship Fund, which has provided scholarships to 10 students who will participate in a 10-day study abroad course in and around Paris to strengthen their knowledge of the French language and culture.
The trip is planned to take place at the end of June.
“I’m very grateful to the Beaver Foundation,” said Dr. Lena Taub Robles, who teaches French at CSUB and will be leading the trip. “They have shown support of the French program since I first arrived at CSUB six years ago. They are great friends of the university and of the program.”
The gift from the foundation will help fulfill CSUB’s priorities of supporting future leaders and fostering academic excellence as part of the university’s first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, which was publicly announced in October 2021. The goal of the campaign is to raise $55 million by July 2024 to transform the university.
Participating students will visit several well-known historical landmarks during the trip, including the Eiffel Tower, Palace of Versailles, Latin Quarter as well as the underground Catacombs. They will complete readings, keep a journal, participate in daily discussions as well as write a paper as part of the class.
“Bakersfield has been good to us. We feel it’s so important to give back to the community in ways that really matter, and education is at the top of our list,” said Dennis Beaver, who practices law in Bakersfield and writes a syndicated consumer and legal affairs newspaper column called You and the Law. “France is an amazing country and Paris is a fantastic place. We hope this trip opens students’ minds to the importance of studying a foreign language.”
Since its establishment around 25 years ago, the Dennis and Anne Beaver Foundation has funded trips to France for high school students in Kern County and beyond, as well as for college students from several institutions, including Los Angeles Valley College and Pierce College.
Dennis Beaver has a degree in French from CSU Northridge and said studying the language was one of his most rewarding experiences. He wants to help students discover a love of France and foreign language.
“The greatest educational gift in my life has been French,” he said. “There is just no way to describe the joy of being in France — or here, in California —meeting native speakers, carrying on conversations, understanding and laughing at their stories and seeing how speaking their language well opens a door into knowing the French on a deep level. I want to help our CSUB students discover a love of France and foreign language.”
This is the second time that the foundation has funded a trip to France for CSUB students. In 2019, it supported a month-long trip to Lyon for two students. However, this is the first time the university has been able to offer a faculty-led trip to France.
“We’ve never done anything on this level, so it’s really exciting for us,” said Yuri Sakamaki, director of CSUB’s study abroad and Fulbright programs. “I think it will be a great experience for these students.”
Putting knowledge to practice
One of the students who will be participating in the class is Madelyn Gaines, who is excited for the opportunity to immerse herself in French culture and learn more about the history of Paris.
“When I learned that I was awarded the scholarship, I was filled with immense gratitude and excitement,” she said. “This will be my first time going to Europe, so I was very happy and thankful that I had access to this opportunity through CSUB.”
To be eligible for a scholarship, students had to meet several requirements, including being a French major or minor, at least a junior or senior, a full-time student and having enrolled in the French 1000 introductory course prior to travel.
While she is currently taking French 1000, Gaines said she’s still nervous about the prospect of having to communicate in a new country. Gaines said she’s been practicing speaking French every day as well as watching French TV shows and listening to French music to help prepare for the trip.
“This experience will foster my own personal growth by placing me within a new environment that forces me to get out of my comfort zone by speaking another language and navigating in a new culture, and will ultimately expand my worldview,” she said.
Dr. Taub Robles said that for CSUB students who have never traveled out of the country, or even out of the state of California, the course provides an opportunity to get to know another culture and society and see how people live in other countries.
“I want them to get a taste for a different place and to become more sensitive to different cultures,” she said. “It can be a very humbling experience, having to speak in another language. I want them to have that hands-on experience where they can put their language knowledge to practice.”
Fellow CSUB student Hector Cabrera, who will also be going on the trip, said he is excited for the opportunity to put what he has learned of the French language into real-world use.
“I have been studying French for some years now, but to speak or try to understand it in a [French-speaking] country will be a whole new terrain. I hope to overcome it by simply applying what I have learned at CSUB with Dr. Taub Robles,” he said.
For more information about study abroad opportunities at CSUB, visit csub.edu/studyabroad.
Original source can be found here.
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