While the Olympics gave many people a glimpse of Paris, a Harrison High School student got to immerse herself in the sights and sounds of France during a summer abroad in France as part of the IU Honors Program in Foreign Languages. Ketsia Baributsa stayed with a host family and attended classes for more than a month at a French high school.

“At school, we took grammar, linguistics, literature and culture classes that were led by our incredible program coordinators,” says Ketsia. “I was not only learning the French language, but also French history and culture and watched our class lessons come to life because actually being in France meant we were able to visit the historical sites we spoke of in class, such as Saint Malo, Le Mont Saint Michel, Eiffel Tower, Le Chateau de Versailles, and many more.”

Being away from home was difficult, but Ketsia developed close bonds with her classmates as they navigated the challenges of complete language immersion. The students enjoyed navigating public transportation to explore the host city of Saint-Brieuc with friends after school. Ketsia continued to improve her fluency at school, restaurants and shopping, as well as through the community service she did weekly at a childcare center.

Ketsia plans to continue studying French. “As a child of two Rwandan parents and with Africa being a continent where French is widely spoken, I am excited for what future opportunities may present themselves to me,” says Ketsia. “I can’t wait to see where the future takes me.”