Although she has served as the Secretary of the National Honor Society and is on the Executive Council of the SCA, senior Rosemary Guardado’s real passion is French Club, a tightly-knit group of students under the guidance of French teacher Nicole Goepper. She has especially enjoyed learning aspects of French culture through the club.
“In the past, we have had a sense of community there,” Guardado said. “It is all of us, who loved French and Madame Goepper and took the classes and all hung out together. Madame Goepper’s class is mainly grammar and how to form sentences, so you don’t get much cultural aspect,” Guardado said. “We play games and learn about carnival and mardi gras. I didn’t realize how many countries speak French until I joined French Club.”
Guardado says that Goepper has been a driving force in her school career since middle school.
“I have had her since eighth grade, and she’s been my French teacher ever since,” Guardado said. “She has helped me a whole bunch of stuff: with French, academics, and even life. I’ll go to her for any sort of advice and she has pushed me to [excel].”
Last year, Guardado participated in the French exchange program and was there for two weeks.
“It was a total immersion,” Guardado said. “I tried really hard to not speak any English so I definitely learned a lot of slang and words that I didn’t know before. I also went to the catacombs in Paris, which was really cool because I had just taken anatomy. My friend and I were pointing out all the different bones.”
Guardado has been accepted into William and Mary and is thinking about pursuing a degree in mathematics.
“At first I was considering going into medical school nursing, but recently I’ve noticed that I really enjoy math,” Guardado said. “[Going to William and Mary] has been my dream since I was really little.”