May 9, 2018
SVSU student receives outstanding senior in French award
Kelsey Hyde started his undergraduate career at SVSU studying science and graduated with a chemical physics degree in 2015. Now he is completing a second bachelor’s degree, this time in French, earning accolades for his impressive dedication to his current field of study.
A Grand Blanc native, Hyde recently received an Outstanding Senior in French Award from the American Association of Teachers of French. The award goes to those who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the study of French through their academic achievements and participation in related extracurricular activities.
Julie Foss, associate professor of modern foreign languages and advisor to SVSU's French Club, nominated Hyde for the award.
“Kelsey's language proficiency and intercultural competence have grown tremendously during his time in the program,” Foss said. “He started in Intermediate French classes, and has since progressed from being able to communicate in a limited number of contexts about a limited number of topics to being able to use French to express himself in nuanced and sophisticated ways at a level that would permit him to use his language skills professionally.”
Hyde will pursue a master's degree in speech-language pathology this fall at Eastern Michigan University with an assistantship in their writing center.
Feeling it was important to follow his interests in language studies the second time around, Hyde now feels confident that this route is the right one.
“Initially, I chose the hard sciences route,” Hyde said. “I don't think I was necessarily listening to myself and asking myself who I wanted to be.”
After taking French 111 in his early years at SVSU, however, Hyde had re-discovered a passion.
“I took two years of French in my first two years of high school but I wasn't able to start studying the subject again until college,” Hyde said. “I started to fall in love with language and linguistics and started to wonder how I could translate abilities in these fields to help others.”
Hyde has studied abroad twice, investing his summers in intensive language training at both the Université Laval in Québec and La Sorbonne in Paris.
An active member of SVSU's campus community, Hyde worked in the Writing Center and previously served as the vice president of the French Club.
Hyde credits Foss and Ann De Corte, an adjunct instructor at SVSU, for helping to guide him as he struggled to find a career field that was right for him.
“Without their guidance and encouragement, I'd probably be looking at a lifelong position that would have made me unhappy,” Hyde said. “They opened my mind to something I was truly passionate about. Language and proper communication opens so many doors, which excites me greatly.”