Amal Elhosni Candidate Statement 2024

 

Name: Amal Elhosni

Alliance Française chapter of which you are a member: Alliance Française de Grosse Pointe, MI

Please tell us about your current role in your chapter and for how long you have been doing it: President of the Grosse Pointe chapter since August of 2020

Previous roles in this chapter, other chapters, or on the FAF board: Board member, several terms and past president.

Occupation/profession: Partially retired French professor

Education/degrees: BA and MA in French language and literature

Candidacy Statement - Please write a short summary describing your reasons to join the board (i.e., motivation, experience, vision, highlights).

I have been a member of the Alliance Française since 1995, and it has been a wonderful journey that I intend to continue. I was born in Lebanon and attended the French government school in Beirut, La Mission Laïque Française. I grew up bilingual, with an emphasis of French since all subjects were taught in French. When I moved to the United States in 1983, I continued my journey with the French language at the college level where I was elected as the president of the French Honor Society for several years. I worked closely with the university administration to promote the program and encourage students to pursue studies in French. The Alliance Française was a natural transition after college, and the Grosse Pointe chapter in Michigan has been a dear and near organization to my heart. As a board member and president, my contributions include starting a monthly Ciné-Club, running a Cercle de Lecture, helping manage an education program for adult learners, administrating the AF de Grosse Pointe Facebook page, writing the monthly newsletter, and continuing the tradition of La Distribution des Prix, an award ceremony we organize for high schools students in our area. I understand the challenges that face the Alliance Française as a whole since we have our own share of challenges locally, but believe the organization an important element in keeping the French language as well as the French and Francophones cultures thriving in the US. 

Description of background and skill sets that would be applied in a board position. These could include expertise in marketing, fundraising, legal expertise, IT experience/graphic design, social media, expertise in the fields of French language pedagogy and francophone culture, etc. 

Having been a French teachers for over thirty years, for different levels and ages was an exercise in adaptability and flexibility. The multiple environments of work allowed me to shift quickly and hone in what the task at hand. Keeping up with the rapidly changing technology and the ever growing digital resources and tools in the last fifteen years, including virtual learning in the education field has also spilled into my everyday life and my work with the Alliance Française. I do not pretend to be an expert, but I have the base knowledge to help me learn quickly when needed. My contribution to the 2022 Federation's National Conference plans and helping host in Detroit has certainly inspired me to continue along those lines. Finally, being a native Francophone myself and a food enthusiast, I welcome the chance to use my personal and professional experience for programs that promote the Francophonie beyond the borders of France. The cookbook project of the Federation would certainly be enriched by food from Francophone cultures that can be so different, but are united by the French language. I hope this gives a glimpse of what I can bring to the table, and I look forward to the chance of working with an amazing group of people I have come to know and greatly appreciate in the last few years.

Candidate's e-name and date

Amal Elhosni, May 10, 2024