Our Teachers

Stéphanie is a native French speaker with many years of teaching experience both in the USA and in France. Passionate for languages, she graduated from the University of Avignon with degrees in English and French instruction, and can also teach Italian and Spanish. She has been part of the Alliance Française team since 2012 and is proud to teach diverse classes and private lessons within the association.

Anne-Sophie is a longtime French teacher in the St. Louis area who taught at the University of Missouri - St. Louis for over 25 years. A native French speaker, Anne-Sophie grew up in France and graduated from the Sorbonne with a Master’s in German in 1984. She went on to receive her Master’s in French Literature from Washington University in St. Louis in 1987.

Marie-Claire is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and French is her first language. With a bachelor’s degree in public and international law, she has experience in administration and international affairs. Marie started teaching in the U.S. in 2012, and her enjoyment of teaching brought her to study education here in the States.

Myriam has worked at the Alliance Française de St. Louis since 1980. Born in Provence, she went to university in Paris and then studied at the University of Texas at Austin. She has a Master's in French, German, and Spanish. In 1980, she received her doctorate.

Myriam taught at the University of Texas at Austin, Cardinal Newman College, and for 18 years at Webster University in St. Louis. Myriam is retired but loves teaching and continues to give courses at the Alliance Française.

Chevalier of the French Order of the “Palmes Académiques,” Consule Honoraire de France à Saint Louis, and Executive Director of the Alliance Française de St. Louis, Isabelle was born and bred in Toulon (Provence). After studying law for two years at the Université of Toulon-La Garde, she “gave it all up for love” and moved to the U.S. in 1981.

After a diverse career across the country, she joined the Alliance Française de St. Louis in 1998 as a teacher/translator/lecturer/tour guide and became our Executive Director in 2009.

Firouzeh Soltanshahi is an American-Iranian woman who went to fulfill her dreams in France where she received two Bachelor’s degrees in Modern Literature and French as a Foreign Language. She went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Translation. Firouzeh is a lecturer at SIUE and teaches 2 sections of French 101 and 102 for the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature. In addition to teaching and tutoring, she loves yoga, meditation, swimming and camping.

Born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, Becky started studying French in high school and went on to major in French and Secondary Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She spent a semester abroad at l’Université Catholique de l’Ouest à Angers, France in 2008 and has visited France 5 times with hopes of going more!

Becky has been teaching French to high school students since 2008 at Marquette Catholic High School in Alton, Illinois. When she is not devoting her time to teaching French, she enjoys spending time with her three kids (two humans and one cat!).

Elaine is a native Kansan with a love for travel and languages. After graduating from The University of Notre Dame with a degree in Great Books and Latino Studies, Elaine spent two years teaching at a New York City high school, two years leading marketing for a small business, and two years teaching English at a public high school in Rennes, France. Elaine is fluent in French & Spanish and recently started freelancing as a medical interpreter. Her other freelance activities involve nonprofit grant writing and curating an educational platform for incarcerated individuals. Most weekends, you can find her walking around Forest Park, practicing yoga, running, cooking, or devouring a good novel. Elaine is an energetic, engaging tutor who loves helping students with their learning goals. Having also spent extensive time in Peru and Spain, Elaine enjoys conversations about culture, music, language, travel, literature, philosophy, everyday life, cooking, and much more!

Jenna is a Kentucky native who is new to the St. Louis area. She has studied French since high school and has earned an M.A. in French from the University of Kentucky and an M.A. in Romance Languages and Literature from Harvard University. She spent a year teaching English in Chaumont, a small town in the east of France, from 2017-2018. She has three years of experience teaching French at the undergraduate level and is currently teaching both adult learners at the Alliance Française and high schoolers at a local private school. Her favorite part of teaching French is helping students of all ages gain the confidence and courage to put themselves out of their comfort zone and use their language skills in real-life situations. 

When she is not teaching, Jenna is a hobby addict and can be found at the rock climbing gym, on her couch reading or knitting, or in the kitchen baking. She also loves bird-watching and being outside. Jenna lives in St. Louis with her husband and cat.

Kaoutar Loukili Byrd is originally from Morocco. Her academic path is a blend of languages, teaching, curriculum development, and translation expertise. For over a decade, she has passionately shared the beauty of languages like English, Arabic, and French with eager learners. Her dedication to languages earned her a Fulbright scholarship, highlighting her commitment to fostering cross-cultural understanding and academic excellence.

When she's not in the classroom, she indulges in her love for exploring new places, outdoor adventures, cherishing moments with family, and maintaining curiosity for learning more.

She's back! Melanie has returned as a teacher to the Alliance after traveling, teaching French, and working in healthcare for several years. A native of Florissant, she began studying French in high school and continued in college, obtaining the Superior Diploma of French Studies from Université Bordeaux Montaigne, a BA in French from Webster University, an MA in French from University College Cork (Ireland) and the DAEFLE teaching diploma from Université Bordeaux Montaigne.

Since returning to St. Louis, Melanie has taught at Webster University and Incarnate Word Academy, and privately tutored students of all ages. She is committed to utilizing diverse teaching methods and building student confidence. When she is not sharing her passion for all things French, Melanie loves to spend time with her family (husband, two kids, a cat, and a dog), crochet, watch St. Louis City SC matches, and listen to music.

Martin is a native French speaker from the Anjou region. He also spent several years, between the ages of 10 and 18, at his paternal home in La Réunion.

After graduating with a Master’s degree in Translation from the University of Angers (2011), Martin moved to the U.S., where he started teaching French in 2013. He earned his Doctorate in French Linguistics from Indiana University in 2022.

In his spare time, Martin enjoys reading, listening to music, and visiting museums and French castles.

A native St. Louisan, Michael A. Kunz holds an M.A. in French Linguistics from Indiana University Bloomington where he also completed his doctoral coursework. His main focus of study involved the syntactic and lexicographic examination of North American varieties of French, with a particular focus on Louisiana Regional French. Michael spent 7 years working under Dr. Albert Valdman at the Creole Institute.

A strong believer that language is an intimate and very personal endeavor, Michael’s hope is that he can be a guide in this journey together, so that it is no longer a question of the mere study of vocabulary/grammar but one of authentic communication.

Outside of the study of French and Francophone languages, Michael enjoy films of all genres, spending time with his husband, fellow Alliance professor Dr. Martin Maillot, and going on adventures around town with his two Italian greyhounds. You can often find him at the Missouri Botanical Gardens or biking the Grant’s Trail in the early mornings — taking photos or just meandering.