Karl Mercer III '09 - Languages, Literatures and International Studies

I am so thankful I studied French at NMU because it has been essential to my personal success and professional achievement. For me, French opened the door to the vast and vibrant Francophone culture that can be found throughout the world. I will never forget the day freshman year when my professor showed us Indochine, a French film set in colonial Vietnam. I was absolutely captivated by the scenery of terraced rice fields and sampans paddling alongside limestone karsts. At that point, I was determined to go to Vietnam. With guidance from my French professor and the NMU study abroad office, I applied for the NSEP Boren scholarship in 2007 that fully funded my year-long study abroad in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. 

I sincerely believe that speaking French strengthened my application because it showed my aptitude to learn a foreign language, as well as familiarity with the region’s history.  I studied abroad in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia  2007-2008.  During my time in Hanoi, I was pleased to discover that French is still very much alive in Indochina. Though the French left Vietnam decades ago, their influence still remains heavily engrained in architecture, cuisine and art, and much of the older generation still speak French fluently. Today, I continue to use my French and Vietnamese on a routine basis as an employee for the U.S. Defense Department. I can speak from experience that language skills are a key consideration for employers and a critical asset for professional development. French led me to Southeast Asia, but you never know where it might take you... Bonne chance et bon voyage! 

I am very thankful to have a BA in French from NMU because it has been essential to my personal success and professional achievement.  Advanced language proficiency is absolutely vital to my current line of work as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State.  I entered the Department of State in 2014 with advanced knowledge in French and Vietnamese, both skills I obtained at NMU through rigorous French literature courses and a year-long study abroad in francophone Hanoi, Vietnam funded by the NSEP Boren Scholarship program.  Studying French at NMU helped me obtain the cross-cultural communication skills and foreign regional knowledge that advanced my career and helped me land a position representing the United States government overseas. As a diplomat, I also served at U.S. missions in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Guadalajara, Mexico. My next diplomatic mission will take me to the U.S. Embassy in Libreville, Gabon—one of the many Francophone African countries, where French language skills are essential.