Category: Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Blue Hens Pursue Global Ambitions
April 07, 2026 Written by Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Students and alumni translate language skills into international success
Students and alumni from the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures have secured academic and career opportunities across four continents. From a prestigious Fulbright appointment in Brazil to an exchange program in China, these scholars demonstrate how language proficiency unlocks cross-cultural understanding and global professional success.
Chinese and Asian studies student accepted to competitive exchange program in China
Silo Murphy is a quadruple major in mathematics, computer science, Chinese studies and Asian studies. He is also pursuing a 4+1 M.A. in quantum science. In summer 2025, he participated in the 2025 Taiwan Intensive Summer Language Program, a two-month intensive language program at Shih Chien University in Taipei.
In Winter 2026, he was the only student accepted from the United States to participate in the exchange program at The University of Science and Technology China (USTC). He continued to practice his language skills after he completed the exchange program with travels to Changchun, Beijing, Qingdao and Shanghai.
Donovan Aldridge teaches English in Brazil as a Fulbright teaching assistant
Donovan Aldridge (B.A., M.A. Spanish, ‘24) will lean on his previous teaching experience in Grenada when he begins his Fulbright English teaching assistantship in Brazil next spring. Aldridge, a UD alumnus with a bachelor’s and master's in Spanish studies, said that he has been surrounded by educators his entire life, which laid the foundation for teaching and language acquisition to become his passions.
“Both allow me to be a part of something that is bigger than myself,” he said. “It’s an incredible honor that I get to do this work as a Fulbright Scholar, and I can’t wait to immerse myself in Brazilian culture. I’m filled with gratitude.”
Laurène Tabouillot and Cécile Raas translate 200-year-old letters
Two former French master’s students, Laurène Tabouillot and Cécile Raas (M.A. 25), translated 200-year-old letters from a French aristocrat to a member of Delaware’s Dupont family during a French government-sponsored internship at Hagley Museum and library. “As a French student studying abroad for two years, we could understand the different outlook you have on your native land once you have left. We could relate to the different perspectives,” Tabouillot said.
French studies students pursue new opportunities
Since graduating from UD in 2025, Cécile Raas has continued her studies as a doctoral student at Princeton University, where she is studying French and Francophone Studies.
Victor Abioye (M.A. ’25) is enrolled at the University of Maryland, where he joins UD alumna Apolline Lagarde (M.A. ‘22).
Vitalie Cannone (M.A. ’18) defended her doctoral dissertation titled "Robes de tissu et robes de papier: Matérialité et imaginaire de la robe de Madame Bovary à Au bonheur des dames" in the Department of French Literature, Thought and Culture at New York University in September, 2025. She is currently a postdoctoral lecturer of French at New York University.
Laurène Tabouillot (M.A. '25) found her perfect job in Normandy, France, as a guide at the Office de Tourisme in Honfleur, Normandy, France. She called the job "a perfect fit," as it involves her favorite aspects of teaching and research. "I get to speak in my three languages, study art, history and literature, and meet people from all over the world, of all ages."
Former international prima ballerina returns to campus
Aynsley Inglis (Russian studies ’18) addressed the UD chapter of the National Slavic Honor Society (Dobro Slovo) last spring.
When Inglis began her UD career in 2005 as a 17-year-old freshman, she had just spent two years at the exclusive Kirov ballet school in Washington, D.C. Her dancing career exploded shortly thereafter.
Inglis was the first Delawarean ever selected for the prestigious 2010 USA International Ballet Competition. Known as the “Olympics of ballet,” the competition takes place every four years. After years of dancing in Korea and in various companies around the United States, she returned and finished her degree in Russian studies.
Inglis currently directs the First State Ballet outpost at the village of Whitehall near Middletown, Delaware, and works as a realtor in the area. She still uses the Vaganova ballet method and Russian commands when she teaches.
LLC alumni teach English in France
Three French studies alumni are teaching English as participants of the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF).
After receiving a B.A. in three languages, Sophia Kraiker (AS ’25) now works in Aix-en-Provence, France. She says of her experience that “So far, I have learned very valuable teaching skills, I have been able to practice my spoken French, and I have been able to do some traveling around France and Europe.”
Thomas Vassallo completed his M.A. in linguistics in 2024 and a B.A. in French studies and linguistics in 2023. He now teaches at two middle schools and a vocational high school in Digne-les-Bains, France. He writes that he “enjoys helping students with their speaking and listening comprehension skills and teaching them about life and culture in the US. Digne is a smaller town, but everyone here has been nothing but kind, and there are other language assistants in town I have become friends with.”
Kara Kimos graduated in 2025 with a B.A. in human resources and French studies and a minor in international business. She is now a language assistant in the Academy of Orléans-Tours, in the Centre-Val du Loire region of France. She teaches first through fifth grade students in two different elementary schools and loves the chance to teach them new vocabulary words and conversation topics and participating in a cultural exchange. She writes that “Their favorite part is the stickers I bring them for our lessons about different American holidays. I am so grateful for the community I've found here — including international assistants and French locals — so I can't recommend teaching abroad enough!”
Italian Studies alumni highlights
Samantha Jennings (AS ’25) earned bachelor’s degrees in Italian studies and history. She now teaches world and U.S. history to 9th, 10th and 11th graders at the Mary Louis Academy in Jamaica, Queens.
Juliana Monticello (AS ’25) graduated with a B.A. in Italian education and now teaches all levels of Italian at Livingston High School in Livingston, New Jersey.
Daniel Strunge (AS ’25) graduated with a B.A. in international relations and an Italian studies minor. He is enrolled in the University of Maryland's Masters of International Relations program, where he is researching security policy, international relations theory and the international economy.
