GINA TORRY ’98 Director, International Center for Dialogue and Peacebuilding
D I S C OV E R T H E Quai d’Orsay Learning Commons
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Students exploring Paris during the AUParis P M AG A ZI N E Through
Its Architecture class
AUP is... who I am. I am who I am today because of AUP. The friendships that I’ve formed here have been my core friendships for the last 20 years, and the relationships I’ve had with professors have continued just as long. I was 18 when I arrived in Paris. Every time I would pop up out of the metro, I’d think: what kind of magical world is this? Being from a small town in Nevada, I’d never been higher than the sixth floor. I took a class called Paris Through Its Architecture, taught at the time by Professor Kathleen Chevalier. It was a fantastic introduction to the city – visiting and being taught in some of the world’s most amazing places. The ’90s AUP student was an odd bird – a free spirit, someone well versed in life in an international city. My generation often has fond memories of the Bosquet building; you were always seeing fellow students there, and it felt like home. It was the kind of experience that forged lasting friendships. Given that AUP was a smaller school, we had a lot of access to professors. That attention really helped me going into my master’s and professional life. Professor Marc Pelen, who taught comparative literature, helped me hone my writing skills.
