Susan Newby

I was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico into a large family with French Canadian roots and was raised with a good exposure to art, language and wonder from a young age. During my high school years, I was chosen to attend a month-long immersion program in the heart of the Loire Valley where I lived with a family that spoke no English. I later learned that this was the very area in France from where my family originated! No wonder I felt like I was coming home! This immersion experience began in me a love of speaking French that continues to this day.

In 1980, I moved to McMinnville, Oregon, where I majored in French at Linfield College and enjoyed many other Liberal Arts classes in Art History, Spanish, German, Greek, Ballet, bread baking and weaving. During my junior year, I lived in Nantes, France and studied at l’Insitut d’Études Européennes as well as the University of Nantes. During this time, I traveled widely with my backpack and guidebook, taking in the natural wonders and cultural treasures of Europe, using my French, and meeting new people wherever I went. I graduated Cum Laude in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree …