Agnès Varjacques

Agnes, a native of France, holds an engineering degree in IT and applied math. She worked as a project manager at BNP Paribas in Paris for 10 years before moving to the US with her family in 1998. She has been teaching French since 2011 after she successfully completed the DAEFLE course of the Alliance Française. She especially enjoys preparing and teaching her conversation class based on current events using all media format (newspaper articles, video, radio podcast…). She also actively involved in enhancing our curricula through the use of digital contents.

Curious about the world, she loves to read and travel and exchange ideas with people from different cultures.

Anne-Marie Hulin

Anne-Marie Hulin is a French teacher at the Alliance Française of Greenwich and more recently at the Alliance Française of Westchester. She taught French in St John and Paul (middle school), Hunter College ES in Manhattan, but also in London. She has been teaching French as a foreign language to different levels thanks to her multiple experiences abroad, as well as Francophones students from 6 to 14 years old. Years back, Anne-Marie worked in Marketing and Corporate Sales in Paris, she moved to London (UK) in 2001, Bahrain (Middle East) in 2010 and in NY in 2015. She enjoys sharing her passion for her native language and culture.

Aurélie Boquet

Aurélie is a native of Creil, Picardy. She arrived in New York in 2002 where she has since been teaching French to children from the age of 2 to 15. She holds a master 1 degree from Stendhal University in Grenoble and the DAEFLE from the French Alliance. She is passionate about languages and also speaks Spanish. Aurélie has a son with whom she shares her love of children literature and French language.

Sophie Sayaque

Sophie, native of Paris, is a former lawyer in French and Belgian law. She used to be a private tutor in law, and also taught French to children in England. She has lived in several countries after France, such as Luxembourg, Belgium, England, before coming to the US. Sophie can also speak German, some notions of Hebrew, and has successfully followed the program of the Cavilam to teach French as a foreign langage.

Sophie is also a jazz singer. Her eclectic experiences in many countries grants her an open-minded spirit valuable for a teacher. Sophie finds in the Alliance Française a great opportunity to share and promote her love of France and French culture.

Isabelle Charbonnel

Isabelle was born and raised in Paris, France. She graduated with a Diploma of Aptitude for teaching French as a second language delivered by the Alliance Française (DAEFLE). She also earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in teaching French as a second language. Previously, she was a web author/editor. She is a passionate expert on the French language. Isabelle loves helping other learners to speak French in a real-world context as well as keeping students motivated with interactive learning support.

Alexia Laforgue

Alexia was born in Lille and graduated from a Bachelor of Designer textile at LISAA in Paris and an HSK 3 in Mandarin at Jiatong University in Shanghai. She worked as a Press officer assistant for Issey Miyake and for the French Federation of prêt à porter féminin in Paris. In 2000, her husband had the opportunity to be relocated in Seoul. They left France and for the past 20 years, they have been living in South Korea, China, Singapore. They have now been in New York for 2 years. Exploring countries, learning new cultures and adapting to new environments and new languages is something Alexia loves.

When living in Seoul, Alexia became a French tutor for foreign students. She enjoyed the interaction with the students and has always tried to teach French by embedding culture in lessons and do her best to have happy students. Later on, she also worked for a web magazine that promoted French culture.

Claudine Lespes

Claudine is a native of Montreal, Canada. She studied at the University of Quebec, where she graduated with a Bachelor in Teaching Literature. After receiving her degree, she immigrated to the United States, where she pursued her studies at Manhattanville College and obtained two Master’s degrees; one in teaching French as a foreign language and the other in school administration. Claudine taught in several settings, such as the United Nations, NYU, Berkeley College, the New School for Social Research, and at the French Institute of Manhattan. She also taught at the Brearley School in Manhattan for twenty years. Now, she is semi-retired, teaching part-time for her personal enjoyment. She is pleased to be a faculty member of the Alliance Francaise in Westchester.

Violaine Lazecki

Violaine is native from Lorraine, a region in the East of France where she grew up with Polish parents. Therefore, coming to New York to experience the cultural diversity only seemed natural to her. Since her arrival, she has been working with Francophone families as well as students from diverse cultural backgrounds who are interested in improving their French skills, preparing their children to pass take standardized tests in french such as SAT, AP or DELF or to prepare their move to France. Violaine pursued her studies in psychology, education and linguistics in New York. She obtained a Master’s degree in psychology & education at Teachers College Columbia. When she isn’t sharing her passion for the French language, she volunteers for a food pantry, cooks for her friends, runs on the beach and enjoys “pousser la chansonnette” once in a while.

Lana Hamon

Lana Hamon has extensive experience teaching French both in the US and in France. She holds a PhD in French literature from Columbia University and two degrees from the University of Paris- Sorbonne (the equivalent of a Masters degree in French literature and Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature). She lived and taught French and English in France for twelve years before returning to the States with her husband and their three sons. Her university appointments include teaching French language and literature courses at Columbia and Drew University. While in Paris, she directed the Junior Year Abroad Program for Pine Manor College and also taught a class on the French theater. Lana recently retired after thirteen years as a full-time teacher of French at Trinity School in Manhattan. She is delighted to be teaching literature at AFW.

Armelle Gloaguen

Armelle is a teacher, a songwriter and a musician. She has worked with children in the US, France and Guatemala for over 20 years. She created the Learn French/Spanish Through Music program in 1998. Using this program, she taught French and Spanish at her studio and at LinguaKids in Larchmont. Armelle has recorded three albums for teaching French and Spanish to children through song. She is a featured vocalist in three award-winning language learning videos. Armelle performs at schools, libraries and birthday parties. She gives benefit concerts. Busy as she is, she still has time to teach in our children’s programs.

Sylvie Sergent

Sylvie grew up in Paris and studied in the French Riviera ; she has a Master's Degree in communications. She is an experienced teacher, as well as a DELF examiner. She is also interested in teaching French through cinema, gastronomy and visual arts. She has been working on bridging cultural gaps between France and the US for the last 15 years. Prior to moving to the US, she was working at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) in Paris.

Karin Godin

Karin is a native of France. She Has a degree in business law and has worked as a contract drafter. She has lived in London and in Paris before moving in the US in 2019 with her family. She has followed the DAEFLE program of the Alliance Française to teach French as a Foreign Langage. She is passionate about art and culture. Her open-mindedness, her curiosity and her love of communication are all qualities which make her a wonderful teacher.

Corinne Azoulai

Corinne Azoulai has been living in the United States for more than 20 years. With a multicultural background, she designed and delivered immersive French Lessons for students of varying proficiency levels. Integrating literature and historical topics she is able to deepen French cultural understanding. She enjoyed developing activities in speaking, reading and writing skills.
She graduated in Law and got a master degree in business intelligence in France.

Rachel Vilus

I'm a native of Haiti, a certified translator, a tutor, and a master's graduate student focusing on education with concentrations in French and Spanish languages and literature.   I have collected over 900 hours of tutoring and translating work for private and corporate clients. I am fluent in  French, Spanish, English, and Haïtian Creole. I am currently learning Mandarin and Arabic. As an enthusiastic foreign language lover, I moved to New York in 2010 with the same zeal to connect people from different backgrounds to the Francophone community.  I am incredibly keen to join the AFW in 2023 as a faculty member. I used methods and varied techniques to meet the goals and needs of each student while monitoring their growth. I am passionate about positively expanding the French language and culture to young children or adults living in the United States and, above all, making them enjoy the sessions and learning process. 

Sylvie Guissou

Mrs Sylvie Guissou is a new teacher at  AFW. She is passionate about teaching and she believes that with hard work and determination we can achieve great things.

Holly Malkasian

Holly Malkasian studied at Science Po and La Sorbonne Paris as an exchange student. After graduating from Smith College she worked in the corporate realm in New York City and continued her passion for the French language by attending events at the Alliance Française. After leaving the corporate world, Holly taught French at a private school and offered translation services for newly relocated French-speaking students. She has taught a variety of classes including immersion for young children, students from elementary school through university level, and adults who want to improve their speaking skills. Holly enjoys working with children and sharing her love of the French language with learners of all ages and levels.

Béatrice Arnal

My name is Béatrice Arnal. I am a certified languages teacher. I was born in Burgundy, in France. I've travelled in different countries and I lived in France, Spain, Poland,  India,  and Egypt. I taught in France and in Egypt in primary school, middle and high school and also in universities. I am also an Expressive  arts- therapist ,
a practitioner in ayurveda and reflexology.  I like travelling, cooking and  the French culinary arts .

Cécile Boucquillon

I grew up in Dijon, France. I worked as a nurse and have always enjoyed passing on my knowledge. Married to a non-French speaker, I left France 24 years ago to live in Belgium and Switzerland. My children grew up bilingually in a multicultural environment. I helped them adapt to several languages depending on the countries we lived in. We moved to the US in 2020, and I'm actually training for the Daefle with Alliance Française. I like to help children to learn a new language with patience and creativity.

Emmanuelle Chu

My name is Emmanuelle CHU. I live in Mamaroneck with my husband. I have 4 grown-up children who are living in France, UK and China. I have a master’s degree in Educational Sciences and was a Kindergarten and primary school teacher in France before moving to the United States. In the United States, I taught French in an American private school for 3 years.

Sabrina Joseph

 I am a native of Haiti and hold a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. With 18 years of experience, I served as an IT Specialist at Lycée Français de Port-au-Prince. In this role, I also taught fundamental computer skills to children aged 6 to 10. Currently, I work part-time as a teacher at Alliance Française in Westchester. I find immense satisfaction in sharing my passion for the French language and culture with my students

Marie-Hélène Barella 

 My name is Marie-Hélène, I am from Nice, France, where I grew up and studied international business before moving to New York, Mexico, London, and back to New York. I am fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian. Together with my husband we have 3 children, all trilingual. Last year I followed the AFW teacher training program to match my interest and experience in matters of language apprenticeship.

Kathryn Neville Browne

 
Kathryn is a native New Yorker who fell in love with French when she was seven years old. She attended Fordham University on a full academic scholarship and graduated magna cum laude; she spent her third year studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, and she received her BA in French Language and Literature. She used her language skills while employed at The World Bank in Washington, D.C. and the New York office of Société Industrielle de Banque. She eventually attended Georgetown University Law Center, where she specialized in Criminal and Family Law. As a teacher and private tutor, Kathryn has taught classes and individual students in a variety of subjects, including French, SAT, ACT, and other standardized tests. She is delighted to join the community at AFW where she can share her love of French with her students!

Jenny Dagust

 Hailing from the vibrant city of Cap-Haitian, Jeny  brings a rich tapestry of life experiences to her role as a French tutor at Alliance Française. A seasoned physician with a compassionate heart, she has journeyed through humanitarian paths, carrying with her an unwavering dedication to communities and the art of learning. With experience in French and English translation, as well as tutoring French in her home country, she enhances her teaching with a diverse skill set. Her passion for literature, art, music, and the wonders of travel breathes life into her lessons, inviting students to explore not only the French language but also the soul of Francophone culture. With each session, she weaves a space where language becomes a bridge, connecting stories, histories, and dreams across continents.

Agnès Medige

Agnès Medige started out teaching French at the University at Buffalo, where she pursued a master’s degree in French Canadian literature. She holds a second master’s in teaching French as a foreign language. Her studies, and love of traveling, took her to Grenoble, France for several years, where she studied and taught English. Study grants allowed her prolonged stays in Québec and Montréal as well. After working two decades in telecommunications, Agnès returns to her love of teaching French, and is very happy to join Alliance Française.