After studying abroad at The University of Southern Mississippi, Maureen Fortuna, a current graduate student, knew she would return to Hattiesburg to further her academic career.
Fortuna, originally from eastern Belgium where French is spoken, is now pursuing a Master’s in the Teaching of Languages (MATL) at Southern Miss. Fortuna’s passion for learning multiple languages began at age eight when she started learning Dutch. By the time she was 12, she attended a Dutch immersion school to become fluent in the language. Now, at 24, Fortuna is fluent in French, English, Dutch, German, Spanish, and Italian.
“I wrote a letter saying, I want to change schools because I want to do this Dutch immersion school because I want to be fluent in Dutch and it’s good for my future,” Fortuna said. “At 12 years old, I don’t know what I was thinking back then, but that was a great idea.”
After completing her education in Belgium, Fortuna attended Université Libre de Bruxelles, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in translation and interpreting. During her second year, she studied abroad at Southern Miss, which marked the beginning of her journey to Hattiesburg.
Fortuna found the university’s atmosphere quite different from her experience in Belgium, especially noting the positivity of the instructors. After her four months at Southern Miss, she knew she wanted to return.
“After my four months here, I was like, I want to come back at some point,” Fortuna said. “At some point, I will come back because I loved it.”
After earning her bachelor’s degree, Fortuna took a gap year before returning to Southern Miss. During that time, she remained in school in Belgium and completed a master’s degree in political science.
“I didn’t want to stay and do nothing, so I was like, okay, political science side quest,” Fortuna said. “I did it, and then I came here for a second master’s, and now I’m here.”
While pursuing her second master’s degree at Southern Miss, Fortuna began teaching French courses. She credits meeting Katie Angus, Director of MATL, for encouraging her to teach, though it was not originally part of her plans.
“My mom was like, why don’t you do it?” Fortuna said. “I said okay, so I came here, and I fell in love with teaching literally. So, I am really grateful to do that because, like, side quest, but also now it’s the main quest.”
Fortuna hopes to continue teaching at the college level after graduating from Southern Miss. She is also interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in language revitalization, with a focus on preserving endangered languages, particularly those of Native American communities.
“I love the idea of being able to utilize the language and to make it alive again,” Fortuna said.
Fortuna has made a significant impact on her students at Southern Miss. Nathaniel Morgan, a junior currently enrolled in French 102, appreciates Fortuna’s teaching style, which he says resembles a full immersion experience. He feels comfortable asking questions in class and credits Fortuna for creating an encouraging learning environment.
“I know that there are probably some people who don’t enjoy the fact she talks so much in French during class,” Morgan said. “For me, that’s what helps—just being exposed to it and hearing it, forcing myself to go, what the heck is going on.”
Fortuna encourages students to study abroad if they have the opportunity, noting how it changed her life.
“If I had never studied abroad, I would have never been here today,” Fortuna said. “It opens so many new doors.”
