Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimée Laberge.
Aimée, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m from Quebec City, where my ancestor, Robert Laberge, arrived from France in 1658 and built a house that still stands in the parish of l’Ange-Gardien. Although my family has been deeply rooted by the St-Lawrence River for fourteen generations, I always wanted to leave! I think it’s called wanderlust? I moved about 12 times in ten years as an adult, with stopovers in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and London, England before landing in Chicago and starting to work as director of programs at the Alliance Francaise.
It’s been a great way to keep speaking French with my colleagues from Algeria, Belgium, and France, but it’s also a fantastic job where I can invite all the people I admire the most — like Gerard Depardieu, photographer Art Shay, French botanist Patrick Blanc or Haitian author Danny Laferrière — and share them with all our American friends. My wanderlust is over now that I work with people from around the world!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road most traveled is not for me… so of course, there were challenges. I feel I’m still learning English, for example. Tonight someone told me how to pronounce the word ignoramus! Moving a lot from one country to another means you invest a lot of energy adapting but the good part is you get to meet people you never thought you would (I was once invited to a lunch with Prince Edward in London…) and do things you never thought you could (20 days on a scientific icebreaker for a research project above the arctic circle…).
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Alliance Française de Chicago – what should we know?
Founded in 1897, the Alliance Française de Chicago is part of the largest cultural network in the world with headquarters on Boulevard Raspail in Paris. Although we often feel that Paris is the centre of the world… there are actually only 68 million French-speakers in France, a fraction of the 275 million francophones worldwide from Montreal to Marrakesh.
We believe that through the study of another language and its associated cultures, we help to develop a global view of the world in order to promote exchange, understanding, and friendship between people. We are also the meeting place for French people when there is a crisis, such as the terrorist attacks on Charlie and the Bataclan tragedies experienced in recent years.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
You can’t get anywhere without a little help, or a lot, from your friends! And I count many people as friends who made my job more valuable, and more enjoyable. I am a little too independent to really have a mentor per se, but I love working with people. First and foremost, the team at the Alliance is really like family.
And our team includes directors and teachers but also our housekeeper, our volunteers, and our INTERNS! We love our interns… They are younger and smarter than we are and not only do they keep us on our toes, they also keep us in the loop. The other “essentials” are the great partners I’ve had the chance to work with to create the kind of programs that make a difference. They know who they are!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.af-chicago.org
- Phone: 312-337-10170
- Email: malaberge@af-chicago.org
Image Credit:
Titilano Ayangade, Klaire Rial
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