Hope College senior Lauren Wade of Upper Arlington, Ohio, has received a 2014 “Outstanding Senior in French Award” from the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF).
The awards, presented at both the high school and college/university level, recognize academic excellence and an exceptional commitment to the study of French. Recipients, who are selected on the basis of nominations from their instructors, are recognized by being included on the “Outstanding Senior Honor Roll” on the AATF website. The AATF honored approximately 200 students nationwide in 2013.
Wade is a French and psychology dual major who has been studying French since kindergarten. She was the resident assistant in the college’s French-language cottage (“Maison Française”) during the 2012-13 school year, and studied in Nantes, France, during the past fall semester. Following graduation, she will spend 10 months as an au pair for a family in Paris, France, after which she will return to the U.S. to pursue a master’s in social work. She eventually hopes to work with French-speaking refugees in Africa.
Her involvement in the department of psychology has included conducting social psychology research for two years in the area of meaning, religion and virtue with faculty member Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren. Her activities at the college have also included serving as a tutor with the college’s Academic Support Center for two years; serving as a volunteer mentor with the Children’s After School Achievement (CASA) program; the College Chorus; and the Nykerk Cup competition. She is a 2011 graduate of Upper Arlington High School, and the daughter of Jerry and Sally Wade of Upper Arlington.
The AATF was founded in 1927 and is the largest national professional association of French teachers in the world with nearly 10,000 members. It has as its mission the promotion of the study of French language and French-speaking literatures and cultures at all levels. More information about the AATF, and also the honor roll, is available online at frenchteachers.org.