Whitney Arostegui (Resident Advisor, History of Fashion Design) Tufts University, B.A. candidate English, minor Art History. Whitney grew up in Miami, Florida where she received a bilingual education, taking half of her classes in French for about ten years. Strangely enough, she traded in her sunny setting to go to a university in the cold, damp climate of Boston. There, she has been involved in such activities as tutoring elementary students in reading, and helping to raise money for Relay for Life. Apparently liking the cold and damp feel, her itchy feet persuaded her to take a year abroad in London, where she was able to spend time both studying and traveling. From her UK base, Whitney had the opportunity to visit France, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Morocco. Her greatest aspirations are to work in journalism and travel as often as possible, as well as pursue interests in yoga, creative writing, and solving Rubik’s cubes speedily.

Ashley Banks (Resident Advisor, History of Fashion Design) Columbia University, B.A. At Columbia, Ashley majored in French and Romance Philology and just finished writing her senior thesis on the Baudelarian flâneur and cultural modernity in Paris after Haussmann. She is involved with L’Atelier, a performance troupe, and directed a production of Le Mariage de Figaro with Italian arias and period costumes. Though she enjoyed her cameo as the countess in a full corset and bustle, she would not endorse that fashion trend for the woman that needs to go through doors. Ashley spent the spring of her junior year abroad in Paris studying at the Sorbonne where she cultivated her love for French literature, macaroons, culture, architecture, crusty bread and fashion. She’s traveled extensively in Europe, but France remains her favorite. Interested in the international arts and culture scene, she is presently an intern at the French American Foundation assisting with cultural and social programs. Her passions include opera, Project Runway, putting hats on inanimate objects, melodramatic French romanticism, and delicious cheese. Ashley is fluent in French.

Adam Bisno: (International Relations, Architectural History) Swarthmore College, B.A. High Honors, Phi Beta Kappa; University of Cambridge, M.Phil. with distinction. Adam graduated from Swarthmore with a major in history and minor in German Studies before heading to Cambridge for a master's in modern European history, where he read and wrote in areas as diverse as symbolist poetry and German modernism; French historiography and political thought; theories and practice of fascism, liberalism, socialism, and corporatism. Adam will begin work this fall on the PhD in history from Johns Hopkins University. His pastimes include going to the theater, exploring foreign cities, trying new foods, and practicing foreign languages. Adam speaks German and French and has lived in Berlin, Paris and Cambridge (UK).

Melissa Kirsch (Creative Writing) University of Virginia, B.A. in French, English and Modern Studies. New York University, MA in Creative Writing. Melissa is the author of the book “The Girl’s Guide to Absolutely Everything” (Workman 2007), now in its third printing. Her love affair with France began when she was 15 as an exchange student in Enghien-Les-Bains, outside Paris. In college she spent a semester studying at the University of Paris. A widely published poet, Melissa has since returned to France on writing fellowships on the Riviera at the Château de La Napoule, and spent a semester in Provence at the Camargo Foundation in Cassis. She has worked as a Senior Producer and advice columnist for Oxygen, as well as Executive Editor of Smartgirl, one of the first websites for teen girls. She lives in New York City, where, in addition to tutoring French, she writes for such publications as New York, Good Housekeeping, National Geographic Traveler, Scientific American and The Huffington Post. Melissa has taught Creative Writing previously with the Excel Amherst and Excel Williams programs.

Laura McCune-Poplin (Advanced French, History of Fashion Design): Brigham Young University, B.A. Emerson College, M.F.A. While completing her French and Zoology degrees at Brigham Young University, Laura taught French classes for the College of Humanities. She also participated in study abroad programs in Belgium and Paris and spent eighteen months as a volunteer in France, teaching English classes and working for the Secours Populaire and the Croix Rouge. After college, Laura taught at the Portland French School in Portland, Oregon and the Ecole Primaire in St. Benin D’Azy, France. Currently, she works as a librarian at Emerson College, where she received her M.F.A. in creative writing. Additionally, she has taught composition and screenwriting classes for Emmanuel and Emerson Colleges. In her free time, Laura enjoys writing, sailing, biking, traveling, hiking, and eating well.

Kasia Ozga (Drawing and Painting, Travel Photography) Tufts University, B.A., B.F.A.; School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, D.F.A.; Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts, Krakow, Poland,M.F.A. Born in Poland and raised in the Chicago area, Kasia now lives and works in Paris. Kasia graduated in 2006 with a degree in sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland where she had a graduate research fellowship from the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York. As an undergraduate in the combined degree program at Tufts and the Museum School, Kasia studied abroad at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Her paintings, sculptures, and photography have been exhibited in 5 states in the USA and 7 foreign countries. She is currently a Harriet Hale Woolley Grant recipient at the Fondation des Etats-Unis in Paris and a Young Artist Travel Grant Award recipient from the Polish Ministry of Culture. Last summer, she was an instructor with the Excel Oxford/Tuscany program, and this is her first year with Excel Paris/Provence.

Marannie Rawls-Phillipe (Administrative Coordinator, French Conversation) Clark University, B.A. Psychology, French. Growing up in a bilingual household has given Marannie the opportunity to learn French first hand, and as a child, spend her summers traveling France, visiting her family. After graduating from Clark, she moved to New York City where she worked first as administrative support for IXIS Capital Markets and then as Manager on Duty for Equinox Sports Clubs, personal training and teaching Taekwondo on the side. She currently lives and works in Paris, taking the time to travel Europe and earn her place as a foreign language teacher. She enjoys soccer, hiking, martial arts, theater, film and musical composition. This is Marannie's second summer with Excel Paris/Provence.

Noah Sabich (Intermediate French, French Cuisine and Culinary Arts): Bates College, B.A. in French and History. Middlebury College School in France, M.A. University of Connecticut, M.A., PhD candidate. Noah has extensive travel and residential experience throughout Europe due to the fact that he enrolled in the University of Poitiers and the Sorbonne while studying French at various points in his academic career. He progressed in his studies of French thanks to engaging professors who dared to explore literature and culture beyond the borders of prescribed texts or societal references. These simultaneous adventures in language, literature and culture have guided him toward the study of post-colonialism and, more specifically, this theory in relation to contemporary French Polynesia. As part of his Ph.D. dissertation he intends to examine by way of literature how indigenous Tahitians navigate their often opposing, combative identities (French/Tahitian) in a post-colonial island society. When not working or traveling, he enjoys surfing, soccer, the Basque country, Polynesian literature, biking and swimming. He has a mastery of French and Latin, and a working knowledge of German and Spanish. He will be moving to Paris for the 2008-2009 academic year to finish his dissertation.

Larcombe Teichgraeber (Art History as Autobiography, History of WWII) Middlebury College, B.A., University of Texas, M.A. At Middlebury College, Larcombe focused her European Studies major on History and French. She spent the first semester of her junior year studying at Middlebury College's Paris campus and her second semester at The University of Melbourne in Australia. During college, Larcombe was a member of the Cross Country and Track & Field teams. In 2007, Larcombe completed her Master's in French Literature at the University of Texas in Austin, focusing her studies upon the depiction of women in 19th century French literature. She also served as an Assistant Instructor in the French Department. Currently, Larcombe teaches French at the Hamlin School in San Francisco. As a high school student, Larcombe attended Putney's Excel at Williams College program where she studied film and drama. This will be Larcombe's fifth summer with Putney Student Travel. She has led a Language Learning program in France, the Cultural Exploration program in Switzerland, Italy, France, & Holland and taught both Art History and History of WWII with Excel Paris/Provence. Larcombe is fluent in French and loves French dairy products.

Bibba Walke (Director) Middlebury College, B.A., Middlebury College School in France, M.A. Bibba channeled a love of foreign languages and cultures into a B.A. in French and Spanish at Middlebury College, which brought her to Paris, France and Logroño, Spain during her junior year. An Education minor, Bibba has taught French, Spanish, or English at Second Chance Academy in Accra, Ghana; at Langue et Nature English Immersion School in Laval, France; on a Putney Student Travel Language Learning Trip to Spain; and at St. Paul’s School for Boys in Baltimore. She returned to Paris to complete an M.A. in French Language and Francophone Literature with Middlebury College’s School in France. Back in Vermont, she joined the ranks of the Putney directors, coordinating programs for three years in Europe and Africa. Bibba is currently teaching French at the Hamlin School in San Francisco. This is her fourth summer with Excel Paris/Provence. She is fluent in French and Spanish..

Andrew Witrak (Assistant Director, French Cuisine and Culinary Arts) St. Olaf College, B.A., Studio Art; Mills College, MFA candidate. At St. Olaf, Andrew studied sculpture, painting, and drawing, graduating with Distinction. After graduating, Andrew left his native Minnesota to apprentice in New York City, first for Tucker Robbins Furniture and then for three years as an assistant for the bronze sculptor Tom Otterness in Brooklyn. In Manhattan, while he managed the busy restaurant Terra 47, he volunteered for the Lighthouse for the Blind. He has spent time sculpting and painting in Cape Town, South Africa, where he obtained a Cambridge English Language Teaching certificate at Shane Global Village, and taught English to Congolese refugees. Andrew has recently moved back to the U.S. after spending two years teaching English and creating art in Paris. He has made commissioned artwork for clients in NYC, Minneapolis, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Paris, and Marseille. He currently lives in San Francisco obtaining his Master of Fine Arts degree at Mills College. Fluent in French, Andrew is thrilled to get back to France for his third year with Excel Paris/Provence.