Christopher Hindsley will be graduating on Sunday, May 24, after having spent five years as a student at Manchester College. When he leaves here, Hindsley will be going to Strasbourg, France, to be an English teaching assistant at the Strasbourg Academy. He applied for this job back in January and will learn more about it in June.

Hindsley will graduate Manchester with degrees in Secondary English and Language Arts Education for grades 5-12 and Secondary French for grades 9-12. His passion lies with teaching languages.

“It’s something I really like teaching.” Hindsley said.

Since he studied abroad in France, Hindsley feels that it is essential for him to go back. It is a perfect opportunity for him to focus on the language because here, with few people speaking French, it is hard to become fluent.

Hindsley’s ultimate goal is to return to the United States and teach French. While he is in France, he plans to look into American graduate schools collect books and materials he will eventually be able to use in his classroom.

Throughout his time here, Hindsley says there are three professors that influenced him to do the best he possibly could: Janina Traxler, Beate Gilliar and Heather Schilling.

“I have gratitude for my professors especially in language, English and education,” he said. “They helped me a lot. I know I’m not the easiest student to deal with sometimes,” he continued, laughing.

He says Professor Traxler is “phenomenal” and that he lovse her “intimidating/loving character.” Professor Gilliar has always had unconditional support, enthusiasm and value for what Hindsley is trying to accomplish, while Professor Schilling always gave him a realistic outlook on life.

“She looks at things with real perspective,” he said. “It’s not a flowery world where nothing bad happens.”

Hindsley will also miss the Campus Interfaith Board, the classes he could have taken next year, and the many friends he will be leaving behind. He has always loved the friendliness of the campus, which is what drew him to Manchester College in the first place when he transferred from a college in Ohio his freshman year.

However, even though Hindsley is leaving Manchester College and (for a while) America, out of all of the things he will miss, he will definitely not miss driving. As he heads of into a world much different than here, he leaves one piece of advice for the students behind him: study abroad. To Hindsley it was the best time he ever had in college.

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