I came to UCLA with a wide range of interests that included French studies, anthropology and performance studies. The department of French and Francophone studies provided the intellectual support I needed to channel my interests into a coherent dissertation project. My mentors within the department encouraged an interdisciplinary approach to my topic and pushed me to seek guidance outside the department with other faculty in the graduate school.
My dissertation explored key sites and histories of theatrical performance in urban Senegal. My studies at UCLA provided me with the skills and background necessary to pursue an academic career, and after earning my Ph.D. I took a position as Assistant Professor of French at the University of Colorado Boulder. I think the innovative work of the faculty at the Department of French and Francophone studies at UCLA serves as a model for exploring groundbreaking approaches to teaching and scholarship.