France Faculty and Staff

Bonjour and welcome,

Spending a high school year abroad at SYA France will be one of the most exciting and meaningful educational experiences you will ever have. I know that it will be difficult to study abroad for nine months, but I can guarantee you that it will change your life for the better.

Our school, Villa Alvarez, occupies a beautiful, 19th century manor house in the city center of Rennes, just two blocks away from the well-known Thabor Garden and many other historic landmarks. You will live with a carefully selected French host family, engage in an exciting curriculum that brings French language, culture and art to life and travel extensively to some of the most interesting parts of this amazing country. SYA France’s faculty includes both American and French teachers. Our English and Math teachers hail from some of the best independent schools in the United States, while our French faculty-members are well-versed in teaching American students.

What truly helps bring SYA to life, however, are the first-hand testimonials of our students. Year after year, our students share how stunning it is go to school as well as live in this vivid, youthful and quintessentially-French city; that occasionally they take a moment to stop and take note of the beauty, the paradoxes and the vibrancy of life in and around Rennes. They feel that travel has opened their eyes to possibilities they could not have otherwise imagined and that new relationships have taught them who they are. They experience the great gift of fresh local produce; they discover the intricacies and delights of French cuisine as part of their weekly diet. They study and come to understand the complexities of the French identity. They even follow the traces of the lost generation writers in Paris and witness the formation of the latest art trends. Academically, they attain the highest degree of fluency in spoken and written French, and culturally they now view their lives at home through a new lens. I love sharing the transformative experience that SYA offers with a new group of students each year, and watching them grow into mature, independent and worldly young adults.

SYA gives you the opportunity to spend sophomore, junior or senior year of high school making France another place to call home. If you or your parents have any questions about France or the program, feel free to contact our Admissions Office at 978.725.6828 who will be glad to answer your questions and tell you about our school in Rennes and the SYA experience. I look forward to welcoming you to our school!

Sincerely,

Mina M. Qadir
Resident Director
SYA France

Mina M. Qadir, Resident Director

Mina Qadir joined SYA France in 2015. She first assumed the role of college counselor and test site supervisor in Rennes. Most recently, she served as the Dean of Students. She also has over ten years of experience teaching French Language and Culture at both the K-12 and college levels.

Mina is fluent in three languages: French, English and Farsi. She has lived on three continents and has earned degrees from both French and U.S. universities, including a D.E.U.G. in French Literature from the Université de Rennes 2, a B.A. in French from Cal State East Bay, a California Teaching Credential, and an M.S. in School Administration from National University.