Born and raised in France, educated in the United States, Canada, and Russia, Virginie Raguenaud identifies herself as a global nomad with an affinity for languages. Since her first trip at three months old, bundled up in the back seat of her father’s Citroen, sweeping her from Dunkerque, France, to Lapanne, Belgium, Virginie has traveled to more than 15 countries on four different continents.
At the age of 12, she relocated with her family to Westfield, New Jersey. In Bilingual By Choice, Virginie describes her experience as a “late” bilingual and the consequences of crossing cultures as a child.
As an undergraduate at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, Virginie studied French and Russian literature and history. She completed her B.A. in Humanistic Studies with a trimester at the Pushkin Institute in Moscow, Russia.
In 2014, Virginie completed her Master’s in Intercultural Relations. As a researcher, her focus is on the complex relationship between language, culture, and identity.
Virginie is now raising bilingual twin girls. She understands from personal experience that it takes sustained motivation, commitment, and reinforcements, inside and outside the home, for a child to grow up bilingual.
(And if that means regular trips to France, so be it. She'll do it for the children.)
Global Nomad
