Jason Fratto ’07 took what he describes as the chance of a lifetime when he won a paid internship this summer teaching English at Pro Linguis, a language school in Thiaumont, Belgium.

“It was a little scary the first couple of weeks, but it clicks fast,” says the Political Science and French double major.

Pro Linguis teaches children and adults languages including English, French, German, Dutch and Spanish. Fratto taught students ages 11-18 for seven hours each day. He also led private intensive language sessions and sports games like mini-golf and bowling.

“We are always sure to mention that if a student is interested in studying abroad, many programs offer an option for a meaningful internship,” says Foreign Languages Professor Martine Motard-Noar. “However, it is not very common for a student to do that because there is usually a required level of proficiency.”

Fratto’s most rewarding experience came when a long-time student, a 31-year-old farmer learning English in order to negotiate for products, played a Pink Floyd song on his guitar, finally able to articulate and understand the lyrics.

“Not only do you feel like a teacher, you feel like a friend,” Fratto says. “It struck a chord with me.”

Outside of work, and equally as rewarding, the Utah native toured Germany, France and Luxemberg with friends.

“I gained a real respect for other people’s culture and way of life. My best friends there were Belgian, French, Hungarian, Polish and English, but we all have one thing in common: friendship.”

Fratto is planning to teach again at Pro Linguis next summer, before attending law school.