Students in upper level French classes at New Hanover High
School recently got to end their semester with le déjeuner et une invitée,
lunch and a guest speaker, at Le Catalan café downtown. Nathalie Mermoz, a
Senior Country Approval Specialist at PPD and a native of Grenoble, France
spoke with the students (in French) about some of the kinds of work PPD does,
how she started working for the company, and the parts of her work that involve
using French or other languages besides English. She also told the students about her year as
an exchange student in Ohio when she was a senior in high school and how it changed
her perspectives on meeting and understanding people. The students had prepared
some questions beforehand, but also asked her about internships and the kinds
of international opportunities in the company.
Kim Eadie, French teacher at New Hanover HS, arranged the
visit by completing the contact form on the PPD website. HR Director, Meg
Davenport wrote back within a day that Nathalie would be happy to meet and talk
with the class. The subject of the talk was tied to the student's curriculum
unit on professions, CVs, and job interviews, etc. The delicious lunch was also
in recognition of the senior students and their language accomplishments and a
celebration of the end of the school year. Le Catalan café is located on Water
Street, right next to the Cape Fear river and is owned by two New Hanover
parents, Pierre and Marie Penegre (Alexandre, 2011 and Colette, 2015).
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