Mikayla Squier ‘25 - Languages, Literatures and International Studies

What will you miss most about being an NMU student?

I will most miss the Marquette area. Oh, how wonderful it is to be in this dreamy town, where there is community and accessibility to everything you need; but equally a stone throw away, mountains, cliffs, waterfalls, and adventure. 

What were your favorite moments as an LLIS student?

My favorite moments as an LLIS student make me think of community. I have had so many laughs throughout every bit of this program, but I reminisce particularly about my time as a one-on-one French tutor: I got to really get to know the students that I was working with, and many of them became close friends. I also think about the French Table: in my last semester at NMU, I was not enrolled in any French courses, so I opted to go to the table every week to get some practice, and I loved just getting to chat in our second language. Maybe that's because I am just a chatty person... must mean I'm in the right major!

What was your favorite course that you took in the LLIS Dept?

My favorite French course that I took during my time at NMU was easily 20th Century Novel (FR428), offered by Dr. Kupper in Fall 2022. This course integrated all different facets of language acquisition - interpretive, presentational, and interpersonal; reading, writing, and speaking. It pushed us to think about critical themes including power, identity, and social justice. These explorations were a big factor in inspiring me to pursue a philosophy minor, and it was certainly the single course that improved my French the most, aside from study abroad. 

However, I should also mention Conversational French (FR300) that I took in Winter 2021 with Dr. Kupper. It gave us a chance to test the waters without judgment, since we all had the common goal of improving our speaking. We watched episodes of a French Disney Channel TV Series "Mère et Fille," and our final exam included creating and enacting our own idea for an episode in a small group. This course was not only incredibly helpful for my language development and confidence: it was also just a lot of fun.

If you met an incoming student, what advice would you give them?

To quote my role model, I would advise an incoming student to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy! This is true for any student, and really any human. There is no better way to live your life, and especially in university, than by putting yourself out there. I would also tack onto that list: make connections. At the end of the day, the past participles lessons will fade; you might not hang onto Louis XIV vs Louis XVI; but the relationships that you form in college are what you will remember for years to come.