Bénédicte Sohier has allowed her passion for language to take her around the world. Sohier lived in Belgium for 18 years, after which she moved to Texas to attend Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU).
Shohier has been a French professor at the University of Wyoming since 2009.
Sohier said, “Coming from Belgium where university tuition is extremely affordable, I didn’t have many financial resources other than scholarships and my hard work to pay for college.”
Sohier accepted the challenge, earning degrees in French, Geography and Spanish while juggling university jobs.
“I held various positions from painting dorms an entire summer to working for the A&S [Arts and Sciences] Dean’s office. My favorite position was being a French and Spanish tutor for three years at the university library. Back then, minimum wage was $5.15 per hour,” Sohier said.
While attending SFASU, Sohier realized the shape she wanted her career to take. She went on to study French literature as a graduate student at Indiana University in Bloomington.
“My first year of college, my professors convinced me to register for a language pedagogy course, and I had so much fun pretending to be the teacher. I was hooked,” Sohier said.
Sohier has made language and travel a priority in her life, and has inspired her students to do the same.
She recalled a student who enrolled in her FRENCH 1010 course at UW. The student had never traveled outside of the U.S., but, emboldened by his new passion for French, traveled to France with a study abroad program led by Sohier.
“After graduation from UW, he pursued a graduate degree at Indiana University, my alma mater. He is now a professor in a prestigious university in the Midwest,” Sohier said.
To enrich students’ experience learning French at UW, Sohier is working towards offering French as a minor. She is invested in her students’ futures.
Sohier said, “It is gratifying to see my students become critical thinkers and make an impact on our community.”
According to Sohier, French is not only an educational subject, but a versatile tool in the real world.
“Experts also say that French could become the most spoken language in the world by 2050,” Sohier said.
Sohier travels for school, work and to expand her own cultural knowledge and understanding. She has stepped foot on every continent, visited almost every country in Europe, and has recently explored a good portion of the United States. Thailand has lasted in Soheir’s mind as her favorite.
“I find the culture to be very interesting and Thais are some of the nicest people I have ever met,” Sohier said. “I learned a lot from their positive outlook on life.”
When Sohier is not teaching, she enjoys reading, playing tennis, having long phone conversations in French, and adventuring with her family.
Sohier said, “My 8-year-old son is begging me to go salmon fishing in Alaska, so that might be next on the list.”
