CRESTVIEW — Business leaders will see a new face around the city over the next three months as the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s summer intern gets down to business.
Amélia Morgant is the third business major from the University of Nantes’ La-Roche-sur-Yon campus to study in Crestview under a 2012 agreement between the school and the chamber.
The Crestview Area Sister City Program, which helps the chamber find families who house visiting students, linked Morgant with Crestview attorney Ashley Rogers, her husband Andre and their children Morgan and Jordan.
The adventures began Sunday.
“After she got a full night's rest, we spent the day at the beach and had an early dinner at Café Italia,” Ashley Rogers said. “She said the Four Seasons pizza was delicious."
“The beach was beautiful,” Morgant said.
Morgant’s visit marks her first trip to the United States as well as her first plane ride, chamber President Wayne Harris said.
While her internship includes assisting chamber staff, Morgant will also study under Florida Small Business Development Center instructor Tom Harmonson of the University of West Florida.
Under his tutelage, Morgant will develop a complete business plan for a fictitious clothing import company. Her plan will count toward graduation credits when she returns to France.
“She’ll be building a clothing import business using American business specifications,” Harris said. “Then she takes that back to school and they grade her. It’s hard work."
There will also be plenty of time for exploring America and the region, and the Rogers family intends to make sure she makes the most of her experience.
Yesterday, for instance, they took Morgant dancing at Brick and Brack in Destin.
“We don’t want to monopolize her time but are planning to include her in our personal lives as much as possible,” Ashley Rogers said. “She has a ‘sure, why not?’ attitude every time we invite her to do something, and we love it!”
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview family welcomes French summer exchange student