It was great for accountability because they weren’t allowed to speak English with us. I also lived with another American student who was in the same program. Their kids would come home to visit, and we would have dinner together. My host family included two parents who had adult children that lived outside of the home. It also made the world seem a lot smaller and a lot more connected.
I loved studying abroad, getting to know my host family, and gaining a better understanding of the local culture. My main goal was to improve my language skills. I boarded a plane for the first time to study abroad in France in the spring of my junior year at Université Catholique de l’Ouest. During that time, I had my first international experience. I changed my major to French at the end of my first semester and added on K-12 education. I was studying biology because I wanted to be a veterinarian or zoologist but decided that it was not for me, although I still love animals. I didn’t know going into college that I wanted to major in French - I figured I would minor in it. I took all four levels of French and continued studying the language when I got to the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
My French teacher was really kind, supportive and a bit quirky and didn’t naturally fit into where we lived, and I identified with that. When I started high school, I studied French and became proficient in the language. However, I knew as a child I wanted to travel and see more of the world. We didn’t do that much travel in the U.S., mainly taking family vacations to Florida or South Carolina. I grew up mostly in western North Carolina in a family that never really traveled abroad.
Pinner position professional#
The Global Leadership League recently interviewed UNC Hussman's Liana Pinner, director of global, immersive and professional programs, for a piece that explores Pinner's passion for global education, her western North Carolina roots and her love of the French language.