Our History

Exchange, passion and results.

More than 30 years ago, I created a study-abroad program called VIA PARIS, which is now known as APA. Having grown up in a French-speaking country that felt foreign to me, I always sensed the difficulty of integration.

Without a doubt, I have always been passionate about travelling and curious to discover new cultures. After spending a year in the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar, then another year teaching French at U Mass, Boston, I had the great opportunity to set out on a trip around the world, which allowed me to continue discovering new cultures and traditions.

By staying with host families on most of my journey, I was able to experience life abroad in the most authentic way possible. It was the best way to understand the people I met. Never have I felt so impressed by the warmth of my hosts’ welcome or the help they gave me along the way. Thanks to this experience, I finally felt as if I could live anywhere in the world and truly feel like I fit in.

Rich from this knowledge, I knew I wanted to create a program that would provide students with a similar welcome, filled with warmth, sharing and exchange. So, I endeavored to create a complete, authentic and unique program that would allow them to integrate and immerse in the French academic world. And thus, APA was born.

With a new global outlook and the maturity gained through cultural immersion, when students complete APA programs and return to the United States, they feel enriched and inspired, and they often find that their experience opens doors for them more easily in the professional world.

It pleases us to know that we are playing a part in developing tomorrow’s global citizens.

Claire Suraqui
Founder, APA