Alumni Spotlight: Brett Graham, Class of 2018

"When I joined the RC four years ago, it was for the intensive language program and I found exactly what I was looking for. It was and is, I believe an unparalleled program for people who want to learn a foreign language. But what I’m struck by is how, without looking for it and by sheer dumb luck, I found the rest. From some of the most brilliant, engaged, personable faculty members I’ve met on campus to the community it builds and some of my closest friends from college, the RC gave me so much that I never saw coming. 

"Maybe this is the reason that something I originally thought to be a 2-year program extended throughout my four years. As a senior, I ended up on stage at the Keene, studying in East Quad, and having one of the most meaningful courses of my college career all through the RC. It was a service course that took place in Detroit once a week. A few other French students and I would teach English to francophone asylum seekers staying at the Freedom House, play games with them and introduce them to American customs. To form friendships with the residents and learn about the legal system they’re caught up in, all the while discovering their cultures and practicing my French - I cannot imagine a more rewarding capstone experience. Additionally, as I enter Georgetown Law in the fall, my time at Freedom House has piqued my interest in immigration work. The system in which these peoples’ lives are caught up is unbelievably slow, confusing, inefficient, and needs change. This program made me want to dive in and play a role in fixing it.

"Thank you to Dominique, Kate, Yago, the whole RC class of 2018, and everyone else who made my RC experience what it was. Goodbye for now, and Go Blue!"