Captivating and charming Fulbright Scholar from France teaching at Casper College
Capucine Cesmat teaches French with the use of a Newline monitor during a French class at Casper College. (Casper College photo/Zach Nagy)
A captivating and charming Fulbright Scholar from France stepped onto the Casper College campus to begin teaching classes in French this fall, and she will return for the 2025 spring semester.
Capucine (cah-pooh-seen) Cesmat (cehs-mah) comes to the college from Compiègne (kohm-pee-ehn-yeh) in the north of France. Cesmat applied to the Fulbright Scholar Program in December 2023, finding out in May 2024 that her host institution would be Casper College. “Having a Fulbright Scholar on campus is an honor not all colleges have. The prestigious program is very competitive, bringing the world’s brightest students and professors to the U.S.,” said Eric Atkins, world languages Spanish instructor.
According to the Fulbright Program website, the Fulbright Program is the United States’ flagship program of international educational and cultural exchange, offering passionate and accomplished students and scholars in more than 160 countries. For Casper College or any college or university in the country, hosting a Fulbright Scholar for a school year is a privilege. Atkins calls Cesmat’s time at the college a “great opportunity” as it will allow students learning French to be taught by a native speaker. “Learners get to hear correct pronunciation and learn colloquial phrases and fun, useful slang,” noted Atkins.
French Fulbright scholar Capucine Cesmat digs deeper into the parts of the French language while teaching a French class using a Newline monitor at Casper College. (Casper College photo/Zach Nagy)
Cesmat said the journey to becoming a Fulbright Scholar was “quite long, but worth it.” In April of this year, she was asked to choose between five potential host institutions. Casper College was one of the five Cesmat could choose from. Interestingly enough, while a master’s student at Sorbonne Université in Paris, she chose as her thesis project the buffalo’s symbolism in the artmaking and customs of the Plains Indians.
“It was a challenging topic, but my thesis adviser was very supportive, and I really enjoyed working on it. Since the buffalo is the state symbol of Wyoming, I saw this opportunity as a sign to go there. Moreover, my thesis adviser advised me to go there. She wrote word for word, ‘Casper could be particularly interesting for you given its roots in the American West, and the occasional weekend at Yellowstone — imagine that!’”
As a Fulbright Scholar, Cesmat took three classes during the fall semester at Casper College: American-Wyoming Government, Foundations of Education, and Modern Dance. “I particularly enjoy these classes as the first offers insights into U.S. and Wyoming politics, and the second is about effective teaching methods. I’m also enrolled in a modern dance class. I’ve been practicing contemporary dance for over 10 years in France. This class feels like a little piece of home,” Cesmat said.
French Fulbright scholar Capucine Cesmat relaxes in her office at Casper College. (Casper College photo/Zach Nagy)
Educationally, Cesmat moved to Paris at 17 to attend Sorbonne University for an English undergraduate program, studying American and British literature, history, grammar, and linguistics. Her recently required master’s degree was in anglophone studies, specializing in American history. The classes she took at Casper College helped her as a student “… to learn about the American education system, American culture, and improve (my) English skills.” While here, she is “… eager to connect with people and experience as much of Casper, the state of Wyoming, and the U.S. as (I) can during (my) time here.”
Through Cesmat’s time at Casper College, Atkins said she has helped diversify the campus. The Fulbright Program, said Atkins, brings “… people from different cultures and origins. It internationalizes our community, bringing different parts of the world to Casper. In doing so, Fulbright exposes our students to the world beyond our classroom and borders and can help learners expand their worldview.”
The spring 2025 semester will be Cesmat’s last semester at Casper College. She will teach French I at 11 a.m. and French II at noon. To register for either of these classes or for more information, contact enrollment services at 307-268-2424.