Languages, Literatures and Cultures: Alumni Updates
April 14, 2025 Written by CAS Staff
Over the past year, Languages, Literatures and Cultures alumni have found exciting careers abroad and at home. Since their graduation from the University of Delaware , these Blue Hens have pursued excellence in teaching careers, research and even synchronized ice skating.
Annie Hulings (B.A., Spanish studies, 2024)
Annie Hulings didn't have a concrete plan after she graduated in 2024 with a degree in Spanish studies. "I knew one thing for certain: I wanted to further my Spanish speaking abilities," said Hulings. "I got the crazy idea to merge my two passions — skating and Spanish." Hulings auditioned for the Spanish National Synchronized Skating Team and traveled to France and the Netherlands for competitions. In April, her team took part in the World Synchronized Skating Championships in Finland.
Tommy Panezai, (M.A., French, 2023)
Tommy Panezai graduated from the University of Delaware with a master's degree in French. After settling in Normandy, France, he returned to college with the goal to teach history. Ultimately, however, he realized he was more drawn to teaching French.
Panezai moved to London for a month-long training program to teach modern languages. He began teaching middle schoolers in a high-need environment, where many students lived in extreme poverty. "I found my footing by creating engaging, fun French lessons and focusing on building positive relationships," said Panezai. "By fostering a supportive and inclusive classroom environment, I was able to make a real difference."
Lynn Palermo (M.A., French, 1992)
Lynn Palermo, emerita professor of French studies at Susquehanna University (Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania) has just published Old World, with Seagull Books, a translation of the novel Louisiane (2020, Rivages) by French-Martinican author and filmmaker Fabienne Kanor. Protagonist Nathan, a French immigrant born in Cameroon, journeys to New Orleans to search for traces of a relative who had gone there decades earlier and never returned home. In this novel of self-discovery, Nathan confronts a complicated reality in the Tremé district, whose residents have inherited a history of slavery, segregation and the struggle for civil rights. As Nathan comes to understand this fraught history, he plumbs memories of his own childhood in Cameroon. Kanor’s poetic language portrays both moments of violence and joy with brutal beauty. This is Lynn’s second novel-length translation. For her, literary translation is an amazing, creative, intellectual and human adventure—one that she has generously shared with DLLC students via guest lectures in Deborah Steinberger’s French courses in literature and translation.
Kristen Phillips (B.A., French education, 2000, and MALLCP, 2003)
Kristen Phillips, a New Jersey French teacher for 22 years, has made teaching with French music her passion. A long-time lover of French popular music, from which she herself learned French, Kristen wrote a workbook on the music of GIMS (formerly Maître Gims) for intermediate learners titled Maîtrisez le français avec GIMS. Phillips received a B.A. in French education from the University of Delaware in 2000 and then returned to UD and completed an M.A. in languages, literatures, cultures and pedagogy in 2003. Through hard work, persistence and some luck, she made the acquaintance of GIMS and his team in 2018. Since then, the artist has supported her efforts to teach French with his music in many ways, including talking about her work in a Canadian radio station interview, reposting her project on Instagram and doing an interview for the Manie Musicale group per her suggestion. In November 2024, he appeared at a free meet and greet event for teachers and students organized by Phillips before his concert at Madison Square Garden.
More alumni updates
Andrew Dicriscia (Japanese studies, 2024) passed the N1 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, a notoriously difficult feat. He was also selected among 94 international students at Soka University to give a speech at the graduation ceremony—a great honor.
Anna Wilson (B.S. in cognitive sciences, 2024, World Scholar) is currently teaching English in the highly competitive Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, joining fellow UD graduates Amanda Renshaw (B.A psychology, 2024, with a Japanese minor, in Chiba Prefecture), Edmund Masucci (B.S. international business studies and B.S finance, 2023 with a Japanese minor, Gifu Prefecture) and Jared Goodstadt (B.S. geological sciences, 2020, with a Japanese minor, Tokushima Prefecture), who started in summer 2024.
