Courtesy of Ross Guthery
Ross Guthery had no idea that signing up to take French at Karrer Middle School in eighth grade would lead to a bright future – a Fulbright future, to be exact.
“Part of the reason why I took French to begin with was because (my brother) Grant chose Spanish and I just wanted to do something else,” he says, laughing.
Now, Guthery is in France, in his second year studying for a master's degree in data science and business analytics on a Fulbright scholarship.
After completing a data analytics internship with Zillow the summer after his junior year at The Ohio State University, Guthery realized he needed a post-secondary degree in order to pursue a career in his chosen field and started looking at different options.
“I also really enjoyed my French degree at Ohio State, and that wasn't something that I was ready to give up yet,” he says. “This master's program seemed a good way to do both. I get the technical skill set that I need for data science but also continue practicing and improving my French.”
During his senior year, Guthery applied for a notoriously competitive Fulbright scholarship. The application process is rigorous. First, he had to apply through OSU before his application was nominated to move forward to the national pool of candidates. From there, his application went through a few more rounds of consideration before he finally received word in February 2020 that his application was accepted and he would indeed receive a grant.
Bon Voyage
Courtesy of Ross Guthery
Guthery took a trip to Strasbourg, which is the formal seat of the European Parliament.
Guthery’s course of study is taught in partnership between two French universities, ESSEC Business School and CentraleSupélec, both located in Paris.
“The program itself is in English, but what's cool about the program is it’s very international,” he says, “so, I’m speaking English to a lot of people but I’m also getting to speak French as well, which is fun.”
Despite travel restrictions due to COVID-19, Guthery made a point to explore while abroad. Some of his highlights from the program include those adventures beyond his schooling area.
Guthery’s travels included a long weekend in Bordeaux experiencing the region and its famous wine tastings. Another trip took him to Strasbourg, a French city bordering Germany. There, he was charmed by an encounter with a waitress who abruptly switched to speaking to him in German. Confused, he reverted back to English.
“I was so taken aback,” Guthery says. “(The waitress) laughed and said, apparently, I speak French like a German person.”
While the pandemic affected what he could do, Guthery says, in addition to those trips, he still found ways to enjoy his travels.
“Most of my exploring has been in parks and just walking around neighborhoods because a lot of the restaurants and stores and things have been closed,” he says. What really makes the experience is the people Guthery got to meet.
“We get to swap stories and compare our experiences at university, which is really fun and kind of makes for a silver lining,” he says.
In September, Guthery flew back to Europe after two months of summer break back home in Dublin. He hopes to cover more of the continent before his classes start on October 4 by meeting friends in places like Amsterdam, Berlin and Madrid.
Looking back at his beginnings as a French student, first at Karrer and then through four years of high school at Coffman, one teacher stands out as particularly influential on Guthery’s language learning experience.
“Kristi Barbour – she was great. I had her for three years,” he says. “She definitely played a massive role in my interest in the language.”
Overall, Guthery says the experience of trying something new, whether that be graduate school or moving to a new city abroad, is extremely beneficial.
“You learn a lot about yourself in the process,” he says.
Sarah Robinson is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
