Madison Elementary offered after-school French classes. That experience led me to choose French as my foreign language at Irving JH. From then on, I took French every year. Thanks to a D-11 exchange program, I took a trip to France while at Mitchell HS. After graduating from the University of Denver, I moved to France to learn about French wine and wine making. I worked in the vineyards of Burgundy during harvest and then briefly moved to Napa Valley to work for a California wine maker. However, I realized that I missed the old world style of European wines, so I moved to San Francisco to work for one of the pre-eminent wine importers in America. Currently, I live in southern France with my husband. I have completed a Master’s degree in French Language and Civilization at the Sorbonne. I guide wine tours for wine industry professionals and tourists to the area. All in all, the foundation for my exciting and interesting life was laid through programs offered by School District 11.