Vanessa is a Paris-based educator, administrator, and researcher. Vanessa first studied abroad in France while in college at the University of Chicago and discovered the country’s rich history and cultural heritage. She then went on to earn a master’s and PhD in Modern European History at the University of California, Berkeley. She is passionate about cultural heritage, international relations, and education. Her research has concerned France’s first historical museum and the emergence of the notion of “patrimoine,” the French contribution to the 19th-century international peace movement in Europe and the beginnings of international civil society. More recently, she has been focused on the process of restitution after the First World War from Germany to France. She has also conducted research for the UNESCO Associated Schools Network regarding the network’s impact and the teaching of indigenous languages. She taught for over 10 years in universities, including the American University of Paris and Sciences Po, and has also worked at the UNESCO World Heritage Center and in museum education. She is currently Head of Department and History-Geography Professor for a Cambridge program in a French high school. She speaks fluent French and basic German. This is her third summer with Paris Academia.
