Arkansas Tech students spend 4 weeks in France, teaching and studying abroad

RUSSELLVILLE — Arkansas Tech University student Rose Gunther was quick to raise her hand when the opportunity to help teach the English language in France for four weeks presented itself.

“I had never traveled far from Arkansas before, let alone outside the United States, so the opportunity to explore a completely new place was incredibly exciting,” said Gunther, an agriculture business student from Bigelow who will be a senior in 2025-26.

“I have always loved meeting new people and experiencing different cultures, and this trip offered the perfect chance to do both. Plus, it was one of the more affordable study abroad options, especially considering we got to stay for a full four weeks,” Gunther said.

Philippe Y. Van Houtte, Arkansas Tech University visiting lecturer of French and systems librarian, served as the faculty leader for the Arkansas Tech delegation to France from May 10-June 9, according to a press release from the university.

Gunther and four of her fellow Arkansas Tech students — Mason Condley of Appleton, Angeles Diaz of Springdale, Boston Orrick of Ozark and Noelia Santos of Hot Springs — spent three days per week helping students in grades 7-12 at Institution Sainte-Genevieve in Asnieres, France, learn to speak English, the release states. The Arkansas students led activities and conversations in English to help the French students develop their skills in a second language.

Host families provided living accommodations for the students while they were in France.

The Arkansas Tech delegation also spent three days per week visiting the major attractions in Paris — including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre — and the surrounding region, according to the release. The remaining day each week was spent with their host families to further immerse themselves in French culture.

“Coming from a small town where I interact with the same kind of people every day, I used to think people in other countries were completely different with unusual habits, different languages and a lifestyle I could not relate to,” said Gunther. “But after this trip, I realized how human we all are. We laugh the same, we stress over homework the same and, yes, we even argue the same…though I will admit, arguments are a little harder to follow in French.”

One of the highlights of the trip was an opportunity for Van Houtte and the students to visit the Paris Observatory, the release states. Their tour of the facility was led by astrophysicists who visited Arkansas Tech University and Russellville for the total solar eclipse in April 2024.

“This trip changed a lot for me,” said Gunther. “I now enjoy a wider variety of different types of food, I have started styling my clothes a little differently, and I have noticed just how big everything feels back home in the U.S., especially buildings and meal portions. But the most meaningful shift was in my faith. Staying with a host family that prioritized their Catholic faith, especially through attending mass together, made me reflect on how much of my own practice had become routine. It was a beautiful opportunity to grow spiritually and connect with new people in my faith across the world.”

The students also ventured outside the boundaries of Paris to visit the chateaux of Fontainebleau, Vincennes and Versailles, the release states.

“The people you will meet, the once-in-a-lifetime places you get to visit and the fresh perspective you can gain simply cannot be matched by staying in Arkansas,” said Gunther.