Panelist Bios
Bulent Inan is the Higher Education and French Language Attaché at the Consulate General of France – Villa Albertine in Los Angeles. He previously led the AlUla Department as well as the French+ immersion programs at Campus France Agency in Paris.
Within the French cultural network, he also served as Head of the Campus France Office at the Institut français and the Embassy of France in Kuwait. For over ten years, his professional career has reflected a strong commitment to international cooperation and education, with particular expertise in French as a Foreign Language (FLE) and in promoting French higher education abroad.
French In Careers Panel
I'm a founder excited about bringing the next generation of language learning to the classroom. I believe that there's an incredible opportunity to leverage the power of tech to help every student see the value of learning a language and see themselves as language learners.
Ricky has been the Consular Coordinator for the Canadian Consulate in Chicago since June 2014. He works with Canadians in need.
I am a historian with a focus on the Napoleonic era, and have conducted extensive research in archives across France as the basis for my book and other publications.
Michael is currently serving as a Senior Advisor on Treasury’s Economic Crimes Team where he works with developing countries and emerging markets to strengthen their capacity to combat financial crimes. He previously served as Treasury’s Financial Attaché to West Africa based in Côte d’Ivoire where he used French on a daily basis. Prior to serving as Attaché, Michael served as Senior Advisor to Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence as well as a Senior Policy Advisor in Treasury’s national security policy office. Michael’s professional career began as an Infantry officer after graduating from West Point where he also spent a semester in Lille, France.
Pembroke Academy - Teacher || Franco-American Centre Board Member
Rebecca Fortgang is a French teacher at Pembroke Academy in Pembroke New Hampshire. She started learning French in high school and continued her studies in college earning a BA in French from Keene State College in 2010. Rebecca’s previously was the sole teacher of an AATF Exemplary with Distinction French program. She was a finalist for the 2027 NH Teacher of the Year. Rebecca became involved with the Franco-American Centre when she moved back to NH in 2019. You’ll see her students interning at the FAC and volunteering at events. Rebecca also serves on the board for NHAWLT (New Hampshire Association of World Language Teachers).
Opportunities Abroad Panel
MandelynMandelyn started studying French in 7th grade and became passionate about learning the language in high school. After graduating, she took a gap year during the 2024-25 school year with Andégo Internships Abroad, working as an English language assistant in a collège in the west of France. Living with host families and interacting with school staff and students was a very rich linguistic and cultural experience for her, and she still stays in contact with her French community and has gone back to visit them. Mandelyn is working toward minor or double major in French at UC Davis and likes to take in francophone media in her free time.
Michaela Wetcholowsky is the Director of Operations at the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). She holds a master’s degree in German and previously served as Director of Global Education, where she oversaw international education programs and supported students pursuing educational experiences abroad. With a background in German language, international education, and nonprofit leadership, she is passionate about expanding access to meaningful intercultural experiences and promoting the value of study abroad.
Calvin Pan
Calvin Pan graduated from the University of Virginia in May 2026 in 3 years with a BA in Foreign Affairs with a minor in French, and will finish his Master's in Public Policy, also at UVA, in May 2027. During Summer 2026, Calvin interned at the Université Paris-Dauphine, where he did economics research, full-time and fully in French. Calvin helped design an experiment on consumer behavior on Booking.com, managed experimental subjects in French, and conducted data analysis in Python. He was added as a coauthor on the paper, which was submitted to a conference in Pittsburgh in May. Calvin intends to pursue a career in economic development & research with a focus on Francophone West Africa, and is currently applying to pre-Econ-PhD research opportunities!
Emily Laurae Carter
Emily Laurae is a Los Angeles-based pastry chef, food media creator, and TAPIF alum who taught English in Orléans in 2014. That year launched a career in travel, then recipe development for food and beverage brands and culinary production.
Page Created: October 1, 2026
Last Updated: October 26, 2026