Connections through Canada: Youka Mpinga ‘26 Travels to Quebec and Returns with Exciting Opportunities for York College French Class
Excited to bring more cultural learning opportunities to York College, Youssou (Youka) Kasenda Mpinga ‘26 traveled to a famous chateau in Quebec City, Canada. Upon returning to the United States, he established a connection with a Professor of Strategy to help him teach a French course at York College.
Youssou (Youka) Kasenda Mpinga ‘26, a Business Administration major with a Concentration in Management, was born in Senegal and grew up speaking French and Wolof for 18 years. Around the time he finished high school, his mother encouraged him to come to the United States to visit his aunt, Dr. Ebondo Mpinga Young, and to study English.
After completing non-credit courses and eventually attending HACC, Youka transferred to York College of Pennsylvania in 2022. He now works on campus, alongside his studies, as an IT technical assistant and as the Chief Networking Director of the See More Good foundation on the York College campus. He has also previously worked as an academic advising assistant, a Spartan Ambassador, a peer advisor, and a French tutor.
Most recently, Youka has taken on the role of embedded tutor for the 2026 Spring Semester French 221: World French Cultures and Identities class. And in his pursuit to bring as much cultural knowledge and history to the class as possible, Youka traveled all the way to Montreal, Canada, and Quebec City to not only visit a famous chateau, but to connect with a Francophone Canadian professor who has agreed to help teach and bring his perspective to the class.
Evolving French Language and Culture Classes
During his time at York College, Youka was recommended to connect with Dr. Mary Boldt, Associate Professor of Language and Literature and Faculty Liaison for York College's exchange program with Kufstein (Austria) University. When she learned that Youka spoke French as one of his native languages, Dr. Boldt asked if he would be interested in being more involved in the College’s French program, which he eagerly accepted.
Designed as a minor, the French program focuses on hands-on language learning, with courses that emphasize speaking and reading to keep students actively engaged.
Having Youka join as a tutor was a valuable chance to bring authentic French to the College. So, for the 2025 Spring Semester, Youka worked with Dr. Boldt for her French 220: Culinary Culture of the French-Speaking World class.
“As a native of Senegal, [Youka] has native-quality French, as well as a valuable perspective to share with classes on French-speaking cultures, so I gladly agreed that he could be a tutor in that class,” Dr. Boldt said. “He gave a wonderful presentation on Senegalese culture that was well-received by the students, and he helped in the course in other ways, too, including with French-language role plays.”
Due to the positive feedback and experience of those involved, Dr. Boldt invited Youka back as an embedded tutor for her 2026 Spring Semester French 221: World French Cultures and Identities class. Once Youka learned about the course, he threw himself enthusiastically into not only preparing more material for the prospective class but also recruiting students through social media and his many work connections around campus.
“This is the first time French 221: World French Cultures and Identities is being taught at York College,” Dr. Boldt said. “In the class, we are working together to understand aspects of the geography and history of the French-speaking world. We are also examining the legacy of French colonialism, as well as both shared and unique forms of cultural expression among French-speaking countries.”
“Now, I am a French embedded tutor for the spring of 2026,” Youka said. “This made the experience different because my goal was to be able to learn directly from experts, travel to better understand the subject, and then bring that knowledge back to create more informed and meaningful in-class presentations.”
Youka will also be working with Professor Charles Kauffman, Adjunct Professor of World Languages & International Relations, in his Introduction to World Languages course, presenting on Africa with a focus on Senegal.
Enhancing the Experience through Quebec
Before Youka left for winter break in 2025, Dr. Boldt asked him to give a presentation to her French students, similar to the one he had given for Senegal. He was happy to help, especially since he was planning to visit Quebec, Canada, for his break. An opportunity that Youka recognized could help enhance the class’s understanding of the history and culture of the French-speaking world.
“I wanted to create something meaningful, and something meaningful for me comes from life experiences—an experience where, in person, I have been there, and now I’m able to share my experience with the students,” Youka said.
When Youka shared that he was planning to travel to Quebec (and had visited the area less than six months ago), Dr. Boldt shared a specific location she thought would be a wonderful place to visit: the Château Frontenac, a historic building that’s a cornerstone of Quebec’s heritage.
“I knew he could provide a valuable perspective for the course as a native of part of formerly French Colonial Africa, but I was happily surprised when he also said he would be taking a personal trip to Canada between the Fall and Spring Semesters, and would be glad to travel to Montreal and Quebec City if that would help with our class,” Dr. Boldt said. “I said that, if he was going to be in Quebec City, it would be nice if he could visit the Château Frontenac, which is an eye-catching, famous Quebec City monument.”
“Since I was already going to Canada for my break, I was really excited to make this experience something meaningful for our students,” Youka said.
He was able to book a tour of the château and returned with many photos of the historic building and himself promoting York College. He got to learn all about the chateau and understand why it’s such a meaningful place, rich in Quebec’s history.
However, once the experience was complete, Youka immediately set his sights on a new idea.
“Since my experience in Quebec was completed, my goal was now to find a professional who was going to help me figure out how I’m going to present to students in the United States the history of the language in Quebec,” Youka said.
A Pivotal Meeting and Mentorship
The desire to learn more about French culture and bring it back to the United States led Youka to meet François Normandin, Professor of Strategy at HEC Montréal, an elite business school in Montreal ranked among the 3rd-best management schools in Canada (and 79th in the world). In addition to teaching business strategy at HEC Montréal, Professor Normandin, who has a background in history, also teaches an introductory course on Quebec history to international students in the preparatory year for the Bachelor of Business Administration.
“So not only did he go to the Château Frontenac and get some great pictures, which he is going to use for a presentation in French 221 about the history of interaction between the French and English languages and cultures in Quebec (along with a presentation he will give on the role of the French language and culture in Senegal), but he established contact for us with a professor in Montreal,” Dr. Boldt said.
Youka had a personal interest in the college, but he also wanted to explore whether the French 221 class could connect with Professor Normandin and gather information for his presentation to the class on the province of Quebec.
Professor Normandin was incredibly welcoming upon meeting and prompt in responding to Youka’s messages. Youka was even invited to Professor Normandin’s home to walk Youka through his own presentations for his French college students, and to share them with Youka to use as a reference for his own students when he gives presentations on the history of language in Quebec.
Not only was the information helpful for his preparations, but Youka also continued to learn more about why the history of languages was important in certain areas of Canada. Both French and English are practiced in specific areas of the country, but that is slowly changing.
“French is mainly spoken in Quebec, and it is slowly declining outside of that province,” Youka said. “A lot of people are trying to hold onto the French because they want the French to stay alive, which is something that I have learned from Professor Normandin.”
The two kept in contact, and Youka promised that when he returned to the United States, he would make sure everyone knew how helpful and dedicated Professor Normandin was. His kindness and helpfulness left a major impact on Youka, and as a result, he found a way to bring the French professional to York College to continue that effect on the students.
Bringing a Unique Perspective to Class
Youka’s role within the French class will be as an embedded tutor, where he’ll aim to share different PowerPoint presentations with the students. He has already planned a few, including Senegalese presentations on culture, food, and interactions between France and Senegal over the years, and a PowerPoint on the history of language in Quebec.
Because Youka speaks native-quality French, he has a unique grasp of the language compared to other ways of speaking it. He has already created a “Getting to Know You” role-play in French for students to practice with during their first week of class. The class is taught in English, but more than half the students have some interest in maintaining their French, making it a fun experience for all.
Youka also helped recruit students for the class. His goal was to market what they planned to do in the 2026 spring and to involve the Marketing Department. Now, Youka has 11,000 followers on Snapchat and 3,000 followers on Instagram. Between November 16 and January 15, he and Dr. Mary reached exactly 56,800 people on LinkedIn, and since beginning the French course on January 18, they have reached an additional 30,000.
“I was trying my best to connect with every student at York College of Pennsylvania,” Youka said. “So I emailed all the professors at York College and connected with 700 students on social media platforms.”
The French-English Connection
Professor Normandin will have opportunities to video call with the French 221 students and present about Quebec to them. Already, there is so much excitement about communicating with a professor from a prestigious French-Canadian university and learning more about the language and culture.
“Having an interaction with a professor who is actually in the country that we are talking about, who is having a live experience of the different facts that he’s sharing about the history of language in Quebec, is really more of a live interaction that students will have, where they will be able to learn about him directly,” Youka said.
“I will create a role-play activity in which we will actively participate and engage with students. Students will use a guided worksheet with different possible responses—similar to a ‘Get to Know You’ activity—but this one will be focused on getting to know Professor Normandin.”
Dr. Boldt believes it will be a good experience because Youka also speaks a more Parisian-style French, and pronunciation is often a bit different in Canada, especially in Quebec. The people at York College were extremely helpful to Youka, including Dr. Boldt, and in turn, he has taught them about his background and how it can help further their classes.
“This is why I am motivated and came to the United States,” Youka said. “Five years ago, I was barely speaking English, and during my time here, I met a lot of professionals who did walk me through the language as a professional, and it was wonderful.”
“I’ve learned two different foreign languages, and it’s been really interesting to learn from books and teachers and readings and recordings, but it’s when you make those personal connections in my experience that you really start to invest in the other culture and language and care more about it,” Dr. Boldt said. “And that brings motivation that extends far beyond the classroom.”
Professor Normandin expressed that he is definitely open to more collaborations happening between York College and the Montreal-based French-speaking university where he teaches. The current goal is to participate in the United States class so he can be introduced to the college, and then see where the connection can take them.
But as it stands, it appears this may be the beginning of more international collaborations York College may have within the classroom.
The Benefits of the York College Experience
As a student who worked for five different departments, Youka expressed how truly blessed he was to connect with many professionals during his time at college. Not only has he had the chance to learn about the United States, but he has also discovered how to share his French identity in ways that educate and connect with others.
“I want to say that I hope students will come away from Youka's collaboration with a shared sense of the contagious passion he brings for the French-speaking world,” Dr. Boldt said. “I hope they will let him give them a clearer sense of the joy as well as lingering colonial issues that are shared by French-speaking countries around the world.”
“York College of Pennsylvania has shaped the direction of my life through education, and through the learning experience, I was able to experience greatness and excellence as well,” Youka said. “I was able to connect with a community that truly cares about others. And that’s the experience I was able to get with York College of Pennsylvania, learning with professionals, studying from professionals.”
Students in French 221 will now have access to a truly immersive experience of the French language and culture in Canada. Having come from a variety of majors and programs within York College, the students will take a closer look at the impact of understanding multiple languages and how they can take what they’ve learned into their career paths. Some may even see it as a chance to begin considering studying abroad as their next step.
“Studying other languages and cultures expands our hearts and minds, and fosters connectedness in an increasingly polarized world,” Dr. Boldt said. “No matter what students are studying, they will come into contact at some point with people from cultures other than their own. Reaching across languages and cultures enriches us while demonstrating respect for, and interest in, people who are different from us. It also helps us learn more about our own language and culture, and see ourselves as others see us.”
Youka is excited about the new structure the French course will take on and looks forward to seeing the effect all his hard work will have. Not only that, but also how York College’s staff and faculty impacted him and his perspective on the power of connections.
“As a York College student, what I would like to share with [the students] is simply to look around,” Youka said. “People are here to love and care.”
“I've enjoyed collaborating with students in many ways over the years, and each collaboration has enriched me,” Dr. Boldt said. “I think Youka is the first student who has connected me to a colleague at an international institution who can serve as a resource to our entire class in a given semester. Thanks to Youka, we are all going to benefit from hearing perspectives about the role of French and French-speaking culture in Quebec from a professor at one of the top business institutions in Canada.”
