Front facade of the University of Paris

About

Academic Programs Abroad

Meet Our Team

  • Dr Aurelie Perrier

Dr. Aurélie Perrier

is the Director of APA.

As a Franco-American raised in Paris and educated in the USA, Aurélie Perrier grew up between two worlds and developed an early interest in interculturality.  She holds a Ph.D in Modern Middle East and North African History from Georgetown University, a passion she first developed after spending her junior year abroad in Egypt and which impacted her career choices. Since, she has conducted fieldwork in Egypt, Algeria and Yemen and taught Middle East history in Qatar, the USA and France.Her research and teaching interests center on gender and race in colonial North Africa, postcolonialism in France, and the politics of human rights and development.

Aurélie is convinced that international education can help students find purpose and meaning in today’s global world, and that it can help address key international challenges by fostering solidarity and cooperation worldwide.

Prior to joining APA in 2019, she taught at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar and at Wake Forest University, NC, as well as worked in think tanks and international organizations on issues of human rights, democratization and civil society promotion in the Middle East and North Africa.

  • David suraqui

David Suraqui

is the President of APA and an APA Board Member.

Since 2002, David has overseen financial and technology elements, and for over 15 years has provided innovation and strategy support with a focus on product development and customer experience. As a Jerusalem-based entrepreneur with extensive product and project management experience in Information Technologies and Enterprise Resource Planning.

Since David was 9, he was raised surrounded by all things VIA PARIS/APA. Witnessing its growth, and the elaboration of its vision and values, David has met hundreds of students, teachers, and staff members while participating on countless program activities and events over the years. David has greatly enjoyed participation in strategy and long-term projects with APA and looks forward to deepening his involvement in other aspects.

David graduated from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP), a leading French business school with a concentration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and extensively studied Mathematics and Physics at the French “Mathématiques Supérieures” and “Mathémathiques  Spéciales”. A native of France, David is fluent in French, Hebrew, and English. David is married to Efrat, a rehabilitation physician at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and has four children.

  • Sophie Corbeau

Sophie Corbeau

is the Academic and Operational Advisor for APA Paris and APA Dakar, splitting her time between the French and Senegalese offices.

She holds both a “Maitrise” and a DESS (equivalent to an MA) in French language education from the Sorbonne Nouvelle University. Sophie spent most of her teaching career in Paris, but she has also taught French language courses in the U.S. for 3 years at Memphis State University and Mills College, as well as one year in Great Britain. Sophie has published teaching materials for the instruction of technical French. Her works cover topics such as business French and French for the tourism and hospitality sector. Sophie spent four years at the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry. While there, she trained teachers of FLE (French as a foreign language) to teach technical French.

Following her time at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sophie worked among immigrant youth as a social counselor and professional advisor in Parisian urban communities. Sophie enjoys a bicultural life spending time between Paris and Dakar in her role with APA, but also allowing her to spend time with her family and friends in both cities.

Astrid Schöning

is the French Language Coordinator of APA Paris.

Astrid teaches French, takes part in the cultural program, and assists the team with administrative tasks. She first joined the APA team as a French assistant intern to shadow the cultural program and teach French to the Spring 2017 cohort while completing research for her master’s thesis on linguistic and cultural immersion observed during this experience.

After learning English during a gap year in England, Astrid pursued English and American studies at Diderot Paris 7 University and took part in a MICEFA exchange program in the US at SUNY Binghamton during the final year of her undergraduate studies (Licence). There, she got involved with the French club and tutored students in French and French literature.

On return to Paris, she enrolled in the DDLC-FLE (teaching French as a second language) master’s program at the Sorbonne Nouvelle specializing in French and French culture aimed at anglophones. Astrid then spent a second gap year, between the first and second year of her MA, teaching French and AP French to American middle school and high school students enrolled in an immersion program in Edina, MN.

Her personal experience learning English, her studies, and her teaching experiences have convinced Astrid of the benefits of linguistic and cultural immersion, and she is thrilled to be back at APA to continue working in this field.

  • Cynthia Vernhet-Sellem, a smiling woman with a long brown braid standing in front of ornate Parisian buildings.

Cyntia Vernhet-Sellem

is the Language Instructor & Pedagogic Coordinator.

Cyntia studied Linguistics and Didactic both in France and the US. After being an Assistant Teacher in Indiana University, she taught in Japan and Bulgaria.

Her pedagogy is articulated around sociolinguistics and cultural media, especially cinema.

  • Lola Gille

Lola GIlle

is the Administrative Assistant of APA Paris.

Lola is your go-to person for help in the Paris office, as she provides support for the everyday function for staff and students. She graduated with a degree in English and Spanish from the University of Cergy-Pontoise with a strong interest in language & culture.

Lola traveled frequently to London to strengthen her English and immerse herself in the culture. She loves cultural activities, museums, concerts, and taking time to discover new things.

 

Lindsay Turlan

has been the Director of Institutional Relations of the U.S. office since 2010.

Before joining APA, Lindsay lived and worked in France for 10 years, primarily in the fields of education and exchange. Her most recent experience in France was as head of the American Section at the Franco-American Commission for Educational Exchange-Fulbright France. Lindsay was in charge of in-bound Fulbright grantees from the U.S.

Prior to her role with Fulbright, she served as an Education USA adviser within the commission promoting studies in the U.S., across France, as part of the U.S. State Departments network of advisors. During this time, Lindsay was also a member of NAFSA, the Task Force for Education & Exchange at the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris, as well as treasurer on the Conseil d’Administration for IFE.

Lindsay originally arrived in France as a Master’s student with Middlebury. She obtained her degree while simultaneously interning at the RPR political party during Jacques Chirac’s presidential re-election campaign. Lindsay’s interest in French started with her first host-family exchange to Montreal in 8th grade. She spent her senior year of high school in La Fleche, France, followed by a gap year in Europe, before returning to France for a summer in Poitiers and a semester in Paris as a junior. Lindsay immensely enjoys working with students interested in taking the opportunity to experience a full immersion in French!

  • Dr Astou Sanga director of APA Dakar in her office in Senegal.

Dr. Astou Sagna

is the Director of APA Dakar, based in Dakar, Senegal.

Responsible for all aspects of the program in Dakar including academic, administrative and cultural programming. Astou meets with students for academic and language support, coordinates with faculty, and ensures the well-being of all involved! Astou holds a PhD in Written African Literature from the Université Cheikh Anta Diop.