Philippine-born and Metro-Detroit-raised, Mark Anthony Arceño graduated from Albion College in 2010 with a BA in French and international studies and concentrations in ethnic studies and public policy and service. He studied and conducted independent research throughout South Africa with SIT Study Abroad’s Cape Town: Multiculturalism and Social Change program and studied in Paris and interned in Fontenay-sous-Bois Cedex. Additionally, Mark Anthony’s undergraduate coursework brought him to Noisy-le-Roi, France, New Orleans, and Québec. He has been studying French for the past 16 years, and 2014 marked his third summer leading an Experiment program to France.

Currently, Mark Anthony is a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology at The Ohio State University, and he authors a food and culture blog based on the notion of “learning through food.” His principal research focus is the intersection of food, place, and identity, with an emphasis on local/regional French gastronomies and cultures. Prior to OSU, Mark Anthony was the program coordinator in the Office of Multi-Cultural Student Affairs at Denison University. Mark Anthony also enjoys movies, photography, and tennis.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Rajai Bimbo graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, in 2004 with a BA in anthropology and sociology. While at DePauw, Rajai studied abroad in Paris, France, and in Bamako, Mali. In 2004, Rajai joined the United States Peace Corps in Niger, West Africa, where he served two years as a community health agent and teaching assistant at a school for children with disabilities. Later, he returned to Greencastle in the position of study abroad advisor, where he spent four years advising hundreds of students for long- and short-term experiences abroad. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in language education in France. In his free time, Rajai enjoys unicycling, contemporary dance, sign language, and theatre.

A graduate of Wake Forest University, Lauren Hull majored in economics with a focus in international development and a second major in French. After four years in North Carolina, she received her BA in the spring of 2013, and she set off for France to teach English as a foreign language. Originally from the plains of the Midwest in St. Louis, Missouri, Lauren developed a desire to travel from a young age. She has lived and learned in Europe and Africa, specifically in France and in Cameroon, where she studied abroad with SIT. A former camp counselor, Lauren enjoys all outdoor activities including hiking, climbing, and especially running.

Born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York, Kelly O’Brien graduated from Fordham University in 2013 with a BA in American studies and minors in French and philosophy. Following graduation, she went to Montréal, Canada, on a Fulbright research grant to study the transnational subculture of graffiti and street art. Kelly is an alumnus of the SIT Study Abroad Language, Community, and Social Change program in Toulouse, France. She has also lived in Connemara, Ireland, as part of Fulbright Ireland’s Summer Gaeltacht Award program and traveled in Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain, and the Czech Republic. A current resident of Chicago, Kelly now divides her time between tutoring high school students and working at the University of Chicago. When she’s not interviewing graffiti artists or learning a language, Kelly loves scouting out new and local cuisine, going to the theater, riding her bike, and photographing the world around her.

Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, “The City of Brotherly Love,” Taylor Saia grew up in a loving, rambunctious family of seven. He graduated magna cum laude from American University in Washington, DC, in 2013 with a BS in business administration and French. Recently, he completed a Fulbright in Indonesia, where he served as a cultural ambassador on behalf of the US Department of State and taught high school English. He has previously instructed ESL in France and math in Washington, DC; has interned at National Geographic; and has led a fabulous Experiment in International Living program in France that focused on French cooking and culinary traditions. Currently, Taylor lives in New York City and works as a market researcher where he spends his days analyzing social media data, making pretty charts, and discovering some of the craziest hashtags you’ve ever seen. Whether in a recreational or professional context, his experiences in international education and integrated communications have bolstered his passion for listening to people and making meaningful impacts on their lives.

Taylor first became fascinated by the art of travel after a trip to France in high school, which inspired him to return to the French Riviera to live and teach for a year. His excitement for exploration and foreign cultures has since propelled him to journey widely through Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In addition to his enthusiasm for international adventure and service, Taylor enjoys singing, playing ukulele, and people-watching on the New York subway.

A two-time Experiment leader to France, Nancy has a rich teaching and traveling background. After college, Nancy spent three years in Paris living with a host family, studying French and art history. She then studied in Germany, lived briefly in Spain, was a student-teacher in Mexico, volunteered in Guatemala, and, many summers, returned to Paris to teach. With her experience studying languages and living in other cultures, and a master’s in language education from SIT Graduate Institute, Nancy has committed her career to helping her adult ESL students with English and cultural competency skills, coordinating college-level ESL programs and teaching literacy classes.

In addition to her teaching career, Nancy’s lifelong passion has been to research Paris, study art, and spend time in Paris museums. She enjoys cooking, especially French, Mediterranean, and Vietnamese cuisines, and she assists in professional cooking classes. Nancy is married, has two children (ages 18 and 21), and lives in Seattle.