[ { "post_id": "801", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Jessie Poquerusse", "post_content_short": "", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/801\/b81b4782ada843fe.jpeg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/jessie-poquerusse\/", "post_date": "2026-04-07 16:51:34" }, { "post_id": "797", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Lucie Romano", "post_content_short": "Born in France and shaped by experiences in Italy, Russia, and Canada, Lucie Romano is a communications professional with a passion for\nculture. After seven years working in the arts and entertainment sector in Montreal, she’s now based in Oakland, California. Driven by\nconnection and creativity, she’s always looking to build bridges between communities and is very excited to contribute to French initiatives\nin the Bay Area.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/797\/Screenshot-2026-03-31-at-12.20.03-PM.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/lucie-romano\/", "post_date": "2026-03-31 19:21:22" }, { "post_id": "743", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Julie Bizzarri", "post_content_short": "", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/743\/Captura.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/julie-bizzarri\/", "post_date": "2025-10-04 18:02:10" }, { "post_id": "732", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Marcy Petit", "post_content_short": "", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/732\/1.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/marcy-petit\/", "post_date": "2025-09-17 18:21:00" }, { "post_id": "718", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Rachid Amar", "post_content_short": "Passionate about the French language and the art of teaching, I have been working as a French instructor for over 10 years with diverse\nlearners in France and abroad. I hold a Master’s degree in Teaching, Education, and Training from the University of Rouen, and have taught\nin high schools, training centers, and now at the Alliance Française. My teaching approach is interactive, student-centered, and rooted in\nkindness, with a strong focus on helping each learner progress at their own pace. I strive to create a dynamic and motivating learning\nenvironment where students can develop their French skills while exploring the richness of Francophone culture, both spoken and written.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/718\/1.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/rachid-amar\/", "post_date": "2025-08-05 03:01:04" }, { "post_id": "713", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Yara Arja Itani", "post_content_short": "", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/713\/1.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/yara-arja-itani\/", "post_date": "2025-07-22 04:33:34" }, { "post_id": "711", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Eloïse Arnaud", "post_content_short": "Contact Eloïse<\/a>
\n\t", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/711\/2.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/eloise-arnaud\/", "post_date": "2025-07-19 21:27:52" }, { "post_id": "700", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Nicolas Chambon", "post_content_short": "I grew up in Paris with a French father and a Japanese mother. After earning two master’s degrees—one in Finance and the other in\nEconomics—I started to move outside of Paris, living in various countries across Europe, then in Asia, and now in the United States. While\nworking in the finance sector, I’ve also been a part-time language tutor for many years, with extensive experience working with\ninternational students. Many of my students have been children, and I adapt my teaching methods to suit different age groups—using playful,\ninteractive techniques with younger learners and more structured, conversation-based approaches with adults. I'm passionate about both\nlearning and teaching languages. This passion led me to write a book titled Practical Japanese, designed to help French and English speakers\nlearn Japanese without needing to master kanji.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/700\/Captura.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/nicolas-chambon\/", "post_date": "2025-06-10 16:59:20" }, { "post_id": "698", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Awa Wele Toure", "post_content_short": "Dedicated French immersion educator with native fluency and 5+ years of experience shaping young minds. I specialize in creating dynamic\nclassrooms where students acquire language through hands-on learning and cultural exploration. My business background informs my creative\napproach to curriculum design and classroom management. Whether teaching preschoolers or elementary students, I foster both linguistic\nconfidence and social-emotional growth. Passionate about building bridges between cultures, I bring authentic Francophone perspectives to\nevery lesson. Let's collaborate to inspire the next generation of global citizens!", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/698\/Captura.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/awa-wele-toure\/", "post_date": "2025-05-29 18:31:19" }, { "post_id": "689", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Nolwenn Stewart", "post_content_short": "Bonjour!
\nI was born and raised in a small village in Auvergne, France. After meeting my husband, I moved to California in 2021. Since then, I’ve been\nteaching and tutoring French to students of all ages. I truly enjoy sharing my native language and French culture in a fun, engaging way.I\nknow that speaking French can feel intimidating — I’m still working on my English every day! — but my goal is to help you learn with\npatience, kindness, and plenty of encouragement.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/689\/2.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/nolwenn-stewart\/", "post_date": "2025-05-06 22:25:23" }, { "post_id": "688", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Delphine Gallay Dhaka", "post_content_short": "Delphine’s path is anything but conventional. A creative spirit, she draws inspiration from life’s unexpected encounters and lets curiosity\nlead the way. Her love for the French language and passion for writing are the constant threads running through all her endeavors.\nOriginally from Haute-Savoie in the French Alps, she holds a master’s degree in business administration from Jean Moulin University in\nLyon. Her instinct for storytelling led her to Geneva, where she became assistant editor-in-chief of a lifestyle magazine, covering\nculture, travel, and society. New chapters, new horizons! Now based in San Francisco, Delphine writes for French and Swiss publications\nand shares her love of the French language through bespoke courses and writing workshops—spaces where words become bridges between people,\nplaces, and ideas.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/688\/1.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/delphine-gallay-dhaka\/", "post_date": "2025-05-06 22:20:59" }, { "post_id": "621", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Lucas Paupin", "post_content_short": "Hello everyone, my name is Lucas. I studied at Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, where I earned my master's degree in French as a Foreign Language\n\tdidactics. After writing a thesis on AI and education, I’m eager to introduce students to learning French through engaging, fun, and digital\n\tmethods. Inclusivity and respect for everyone are my core values. I’m passionate about sharing the richness of French and Francophone\n\tculture with all !\n\n

\n

\n\tFor any inquiries related to exams, feel free to reach out to him at lucas.paupin@afsf.com<\/a>\n", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/621\/20250516_153614.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/lucas-paupin\/", "post_date": "2024-10-10 00:17:06" }, { "post_id": "501", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Patricia Billon Calderbank", "post_content_short": "Born and raised in Burgundy, I have dedicated my career to sharing my love for the French language and Francophone cultures with students\nof all ages. I hold a bachelor's degree in Comparative Studies and Linguistics from the Université de Dijon, France, a PGCE from\nManchester Metropolitan University, Manchester , UK, and a Master’s Degree in Advanced Practice and Leadership in Education from Oxford\nBrookes University, Oxford, UK. My goal is to adapt my teaching to the individual needs of each learner, ensuring they engage with the\nlanguage in a way that is both enriching and empowering.Currently, I am pursuing new opportunities to expand my impact in French language\neducation, whether through teaching or leadership roles. I am excited to contribute to the mission of the Alliance Française, helping\nstudents connect with the beauty of the French language and its global culture", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/501\/1.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/patricia-billon-calderbank\/", "post_date": "2023-08-22 22:37:00" }, { "post_id": "476", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Alexandra Shaeffer", "post_content_short": "", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/476\/SHAEFFER_A.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/news\/blog\/tblog\/alexandra-shaeffer\/", "post_date": "2023-05-19 17:31:54" }, { "post_id": "472", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Elise Pinsard", "post_content_short": "", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/472\/Pinsard_hi_4.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/elise-pinsard\/", "post_date": "2023-05-09 19:09:39" }, { "post_id": "461", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Remy Tossut", "post_content_short": "", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/461\/Untitled-design-(9).png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/remy-tossut\/", "post_date": "2023-04-19 01:07:00" }, { "post_id": "309", "post_category_id": "3", "post_title": "Sylouan Poitou", "post_content_short": "Educational Manager
\nTCF Exam Coordinator<\/em>", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/309\/PHOTO-2024-08-29-15-47-45.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/sylouan\/", "post_date": "2022-04-22 20:42:00" }, { "post_id": "273", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Leila Hallajpour", "post_content_short": "Originally from Iran, I have spent my childhood in France \/Paris.\n\n\t Once back in my home country, the love of France and French language has never left me. As a Francophone and Francophile, I have\n\talways stayed in touch with French communities and continued my studies in French literature. Right after graduation, I started working in\n\tFrench school and German school of Tehran which lasted for over 15 years.\n\n\n\tAs a passionate and an energetic teacher, I always try to use interactive methods  to make the class more interesting and challenging.\n\nAlong with the love of teaching French, comes also my love for art and painting.\n\n\tAs an experienced artist\/painter who is professionally active and has participated in numerous exhibitions, I have also taught art in the\n\tFrench and German school of Tehran and have planned several art nights workshops.\n\n\n\tI have recently moved to the Bay area (09\/21) and am so excited to be a part of Alliance française of San Francisco. So, let’s get started\n\tto learn this beautiful and classy French language together!", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/273\/20231003_153655.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/leila\/", "post_date": "2022-01-28 18:49:45" }, { "post_id": "52", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Michel de Bedoya", "post_content_short": "Michel de Bedoya specializes in French education for non-native speakers. For over 25 years he has taught students of all ages and all\r\n\tlevels. Whether it’s children who are just beginning their language studies, teens preparing for their Bac, adults hoping to develop their\r\n\tconversational skills, or seniors preparing for a holiday in French wine country—Michel has the skills and techniques to advance their\r\n\tFrench language knowledge. No matter where you are in your studies, Michel believes that learning French should be fun! By incorporating\r\n\tgames, music, film, literature or current events, when students can open their minds and let down their guard, it opens the language centers\r\n\tof the brain and allows their language mastery to flourish. If you attend one of his classes, you can expect good conversation, good times,\r\n\tand good progress with your French learning!
\r\n\t\r\n\tWhen he’s not teaching French at AFSF and other Bay Area Schools, Michel is the master of sound design behind Gringo\r\n\tStarr Productions<\/a>.\r\n\tWith many years of experience as a producer, sound engineer, composer and touring musician, Michel has the musical chops to create the\r\n\tperfect soundtrack to any multimedia piece. He is currently working on the production of “Mister Michel”, a musical\/animated project to\r\n\tteach French through original songs.\r\n", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/52\/Michel.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/michel-de-bedoya\/", "post_date": "2019-02-19 19:16:00" }, { "post_id": "38", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Olivier Walty", "post_content_short": "With more than 10 years of teaching experience in education of FLE (French as a foreign language), learning is focused on grammar, vocabulary and a lot of cultural content. I also encourage active oral comprehension and participation in the classroom. I believe that even beginners can gain the means to strike up a conversation in French within the first 24 hours of tuition and that you can only learn a language by learning the culture of the country and its people.  I was born in Champagne but studied cinema in Paris and British\/American History and Literature in Nice. I have a passion for cinema, literature, music (electronic and jazz) and painting. When I am not teaching, sending emails to students to perfect their French or prepare my classes, you will see me composing music, drawing, reading or even working on my needlepoint (it soothes me). Gardez l’esprit ouvert et tournez votre coeur vers l’autre!", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/38\/Olivier2.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/olivier-walty\/", "post_date": "2018-08-01 07:18:09" }, { "post_id": "34", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Emmanuel Nado", "post_content_short": "Frederico Fellini once said  “A different language is a different vision of life”)\n

Originally from Cote d’Ivoire, I lived in Lille, where I studied photojournalism at the Ècole Supérieure de Journalisme de Lille. I returned to Cote d’Ivoire where I worked for the country’s major daily newspaper Fraternité Matin for 10 years. then I moved to the United States to Antioch University in Yellow Springs where I studied business management and communication. Upon graduating I moved to California to study broadcast journalism and worked in radio media in Cupertino and San Jose as producer and host of a bilingual (English French) international radio program for several years. I have been living in the bay area since the mid 80s. The bay area has many awesome places with beautiful landscapes, the air is clean, so much to do and see. I took on an education career to teach social studies and French and for 15 years I taught in Sunnyvale Public School District. \n\n

In 2005 I founded a French club in the south bay cities of Sunnyvale and Cupertino because I am a strong believer in international education and firmly believe in the power of language to change the world and help people find common ground. I have retired now from public school teaching, but my passion for teaching French remains one of the most fulfilling things I love to do. Because I believe that people who speak two of more languages perform better educationally and the acquired language skills translate into opportunities in the business world and in private life. It is exciting to see students of diverse nationality and cultural backgrounds at the Alliance Française of San Francisco thriving. Whether you are a beginner,intermediate or an advance speaker, French is a beautiful living language and it is a lot of fun. I was a member of the teaching team at the Alliance Française of Santa Clara and  the San Jose International Language Institute. Beside my work as an educator, I produce and host a world radio program here in San Francisco for NPR affiliate radio KALW.  In my spare time I like to go for a promenade in various cities of the bay or go for a drive faraway from the cities. I love playing tennis,(always 2 rackets in the trunk of my car) I enjoy  outdoor activities, dancing, travels and I am an avid reader of mystery, science fiction, all that deals with arts and literature.\n\n

Have great fun!", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/34\/Emmanuel.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/emmanuel-nado\/", "post_date": "2018-08-01 07:14:52" }, { "post_id": "27", "post_category_id": "2", "post_title": "Arya Kamangar", "post_content_short": "A lifelong Francophile, Arya nurtured his reverence for French literature at Middlebury College, where he earned a doctorate in modern languages.  He wrote his dissertation on characterization through body language in Proust’s In Search of Lost Time<\/em>.  Now in his seventh year of teaching at the Alliance Française, Arya’s always happy to suggest a book for you to read.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/media\/website_posts\/27\/Arya.jpg", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.afsf.com\/about-afsf\/our-team\/our-team\/arya-kamangar\/", "post_date": "2018-08-01 07:09:00" } ]