While many graduating seniors may be moving around the region to pursue internships, jobs or further education, Lauren Windham will be moving to Paris to become an au pair.
Windham was sitting in class when she received an email in September from an older girl in her sorority who would be passing along the job.
After a moment's hesitation, she began acting fast to pursue the opportunity.
"I immediately forwarded my mom and dad the email and I texted them 'Check your email, this is so important.'"
"I emailed the girl back immediately. I told her, 'I'm very interested, tell me all about it.' I probably shot her about 20 questions with everything from the kids' names to having a cell phone over there."
Windham said she had been feeling underwhelmed with her psychology major and human development family studies minor before her post-grad plans were put into place.
"This opportunity came up, and I just decided that since I never got the chance to study abroad that I was going to take this opportunity and run with it," Windham said.
To apply for the job, Windham had to write a letter to the family in Paris stating what she's been studying, her strengths, what she enjoys doing, what she has to offer, any past experience with child care and how extensive her familiarity with French was.
During her time as an au pair, Windham will be responsible for providing care to two boys: one 5-year-old and one 7-year-old.
"I'll have full responsibility for the children," Windham said.
"My responsibility is to cook for the kids, take them to school, help them with their homework, keep them clean and take them to their sports. Also, any traveling the family does, I go with them and watch the kids."
Part of her au pair duties additionally dable in helping the children become fluent in English and opening them up to a culture outside of their own.
"When (their) mom was growing up, she had an au pair, and she loved having that. She thought it was really valuable and loved the experience. She wanted the same thing for her kids.
"I think one of the reasons that they've hired me is because they want their kids to be well rounded and open to different cultures and languages," Windham said.
For Windham, who will only be 11 minutes northeast of the Eiffel Tower, the reality of her future life has still yet to set in.
"I don't think it's going to hit me until I book the ticket, and I'm sitting in my plane seat, and I hear, 'Your next destination is Paris, France,'" Windham said.
"I never thought this would happen and it is. It's real and it's happening and I'm moving to Paris."
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