Traveler Bio

Bonjour! Hello! My name is Jonathan Bass, and I'm currently a senior at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin (WI), where I major in piano and French. I grew up on Washington Island, WI. I was a student there through my junior year of high school and was student council president, played soccer during the summer, basketball in the winter and ran cross-country in the fall. I started piano lessons at age three, and at age 13, I decided I wanted to become a professional musician, which is still my goal. When I started college, I was a music major, but at the end of my sophomore year, I decided to add a French major, as well. French is one of the most important languages in Classical music (the kind of music I study) and, what's more, I really enjoy reading, learning about history and art, and learning how to speak a new language- all things that are part of my French major. I'm spending this fall in Paris, where I'm taking classes in music, history, and sociology but all in French! One thing I learned so far is that to really understand a language, one must learn the culture that it comes from in as much detail as possible. I look forward to sharing with you my journey as I learn about the artistic and intellectual movements, institutions, language, and current way of life in France!

Want to know more about how you can study or intern abroad when you are a college student? The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Learn more about the scholarship by clicking here!