New French exchange program and advanced course prepare Spartans to broaden their worldwide experience.

St. Stephen’s World Languages Department chair, French and Spanish instructor Julie Ronquillo’s ultimate goal for her students is to not only master curriculum concepts but also use their new linguistic skills in real-world situations to foster global citizenship. That’s the approach she used to develop, together with her students, a new French VI course curriculum and a new exchange program in France. The yearlong course is divided into three trimester themes: French in the Professional World, Current Events in the Francophone World and Social Justice.

The idea for the new course was originally sparked at the close of the 2024-25 academic year — Ronquillo’s first year on The Hill. Prior to that, there were no additional French offerings beyond French V but enough students showed more interest and Ronquillo wanted to gauge their future French ambitions. Many of the students shared they wanted to use the language in their collegiate and postcollegiate professional lives.

Fulfilling her mission and intention for the class, Ronquillo dedicated the fall trimester to the ‘French in the Professional World’ theme by helping students build professional portfolios. Students started by outlining their individual career interests and then researching current job postings in France. As part of the class, students also wrote resumes and cover letters tailored to those roles. They also created LinkedIn profiles in French and drafted professional emails to prospective employers. At the end of the term, Ronquillo added creativity for the final exam. She invited French-speaking professionals from the Austin area to conduct mock interviews. Each professional represented a student’s field of interest. The interviews — spanning fields from equine therapy to neuroscience to biochemistry research — served as the spoken portion of the exam. The final written prompt was to send follow-up-thank-you emails, written in French. 

"The project gave them helpful tools to strengthen their presentation skills, develop more self-confidence and eloquence when interviewing and prepare them for the complexities of the hiring landscape," said Ronquillo.

She also envisioned more beyond the classroom and wanted to take things a step further to expand opportunities for current and future Spartans. Her idea was to create a French exchange program. Ronquillo collaborated with English Department Chair Colleen Hynes, Ph.D., on the project and the two are excited to launch the program with Lycée Privé de la Sauque, located outside Bordeaux, France. For two to three weeks in June 2026, Upper School students enrolled in French IV can attend La Sauque, and for two to three weeks in August 2026, La Sauque students will attend St. Stephen’s. This marks the first-of-its-kind opportunity for a large group of Spartans to live with host families abroad.

"We hope will become a long-standing partnership with France," said Ronquillo. "We could not think of a better way to encourage our linguists and international students to make a difference in the world, while being inspiring St Stephen’s ambassadors."

About Julie Ronquillo, World Languages Department Chair

Julie Ronquillo chairs the St. Stephen’s World Languages Department and teaches two sections of Spanish II and one section of French VI. She joined the faculty in 2024 after eight years at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas. She holds her master’s in Anglophone Worlds from the Université François Rabelais in Tours, France.