JORDAN RICKER
Franklin University Switzerland, M.S., International Management
Franklin University Switzerland, B.A., History

After high school, Jordan spent a gap year in Senegal teaching English and IT at a local vocational school while living with a host family. When he got to college, he helped create a 3+1 program and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years from Franklin University Switzerland, a hybrid Swiss-American school in southern Switzerland. At Franklin, Jordan worked remotely to advise high school students interested in taking a gap year while traveling extensively throughout Europe. Between his academic years, Jordan spent time in a social innovation program in rural Rwanda and interned at a recycling company in Nigeria. He has been to over 35 countries and worked professionally in Ghana and South Africa. Jordan is fluent in French, proficient in Italian and Wolof, and led Putney’s Switzerland, Italy, France, & Holland program last year. In the fall, Jordan will be starting a master’s program in contemporary European history at the University of Luxembourg.

BECCA SHUMLIN
Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School, B.A., Literary Studies

While at Eugene Lang College at The New School in New York City, Becca studied nonfiction writing with an additional focus on digital media studies. She has been traveling in France since she was a child and has a deep passion for the people and culture. As a high school student, she participated in a Putney Pre-College program in Paris and Aix-en-Provence, and still credits this program for teaching her French. She has spent time in Spain studying dance and has traveled throughout Europe, Argentina, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Prior to joining the Putney team full time in Vermont, she served as Policy Advisor for Technology & Innovation for the Governor of New York, and championed the state’s initiative to bring computer science education to all K-12 public schools across New York. Becca is proficient in French and last year led Middle School France & Holland.

AUDREY CALANDRA
University of Virginia, Ph.D., New World Studies (in progress)
University of Colorado, Boulder, M.A., French
University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., French and Francophone Studies

Originally from Oakland, California, Audrey grew up speaking French at École Bilingue in Berkeley. She attended UCLA, where she received her undergraduate degree in French and francophone studies. After completing her degree she spent an academic year teaching English to elementary students in Nantes, France, through the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF). She then went on to receive her master’s degree from the French department at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she had the opportunity to teach four different undergraduate-level courses, including hybrid and online courses. Her research interests include 19th century French literature, as well as francophone and Caribbean literatures and cultures from the 20th and 21st century with a focus on Haiti.