Life in Paris as an International Student at AUP from 1995 to 1996

The American University of Paris — how we all loved the place For those of us fortunate enough to attend the American University of Paris between 1995 and 1998, the experience was nothing short of transformative. It wasn’t just about degrees or grades; it was about living a story that blended culture, education, and friendship against the timeless backdrop of Paris.

A Global Campus in the City of Light Every classroom at AUP felt like a mini-United Nations. Walk into a lecture and you’d hear half a dozen languages mixing in the air before the professor even arrived. Students came from every continent, creating a living, breathing version of international education.

Discussions weren’t abstract — they were personal. Talking politics meant hearing perspectives from someone whose family was living the consequences. Learning history often meant classmates sharing what they had seen firsthand. Each lecture was enriched by stories, accents, and worldviews that textbooks alone could never capture.

The Amex Café — Our Second Home But if classrooms gave us knowledge, the Amex Café gave us community. Known as the “school bar,” it was where our ideas stretched beyond syllabi. Over espressos, cheap sandwiches, or glasses of wine, we found a space where hierarchy dissolved. Professors sat at the same tables as students, and discussions about philosophy, art, or politics carried the same energy as our lectures — only freer, warmer, more alive. Many of those conversations became friendships, some lasting decades beyond graduation.

Paris as Our Playground Paris was not just where we studied — it was part of the curriculum. Wandering through Saint-Germain, sketching afternoons in the Louvre, or debating philosophy in smoky Latin Quarter cafés, the city shaped us as much as any class.

We learned independence by navigating tiny apartments, friendships by sharing baguettes on the Seine, and identity by exploring who we were in a city that let us reinvent ourselves daily. Paris itself was our greatest professor.

The Class of 1998 — Friends for Life What endures most vividly isn’t just what we studied — it’s who we shared it with. Friendships were forged over late-night study sessions, spirited debates, and countless Parisian adventures. These names — Aarin Bronson, Aaliya Nizameddin, Armando Henry, Christina Brandstrom, Giulia Caflisch, Karim Lhardit, Linh-Dan Pham, Tatiana Zaza, Wael Pharaon, and so many others — are not just names. They are voices, faces, laughter, and bonds that still echo across time.

We were not just classmates; we became family.

Among us were: Aarin Bronson, Aaron Chabot, Aaron Powers, Aaliya Nizameddin, Ayman Hant, Alexandra Parragh, Alexis Montanye, Alia Nawaz, Alia Nizameddin, Amal Soni, Amr El Shoubary, Ana De Montvert, Anahita Dastur, Annie Madrossian, Annabelle Bernard, Armando Henry, Audra Shallal, Bobbie Jo Smith, Caroline Kruegfermann, Catherine Jones, Catherine Taylor, Chris West, Christina Brandstrom, Christopher Craig, Claudia Rajlich, Christian Russell, Didi Claassen, Doaa Holmes, Daniel Derssen, Daniel Grosskopf, Daniel Pagrotsky, Danielle James, Deborah Messaie Nadeera, Elise Van Houten, Elizabeth Estavez, Elie Rouzeh Kanj, Erin Cloherty, Eric Tizzoni, Gaia Gastel, Gabrielle Smith, Geoffrey Thompson, Giulia Caflisch, Gina Torry, Gregory Perdon, Henriette Brustad, Henriette Hansen, Iain Cox, Irina Kitabova, Jan Berger, Jean-Ralph Perillon, Jeffrey Jasmine, Jennifer Dougan, Jennifer Joseph, José Garcia-Talegon, Karin Freyer, Karim Lhardit, Karima Dahdah, Kamyar Rad, Kerem Inci, Kinga Zielinska, Kwang Rok Kim, Latifa Jabbri, Leigh Thomas, Liezelie Willers, Linh-Dan Pham, Livia Benavides, Marcel van Gemerden, Maranda Barnes, Maria De La Pena, Matteo Sommariva, Maxime Lerat, Meinhard Eilick, Milina Divoya, Moataz Hashem, Mohammed Ibrahim, Nadya Barabanov, Natalia Lechtmanova, Natalia Levasil, Nadeera Messaie, Nedim Sahovic, Nicole Dewar, Nicolle Makarem, Nicolas Decaunes, Octavio Trevino, Olaf Crato, Ole Rollag, Orlin Damyanov, Rania Chahine, Richard Kandou, Roberto Junco, Robert Burnett, Robert Griffin, Robert Sterling, Roger Hobby, Romain De Waubert, Roni Guilem, Roy Burnett, Roudy Makarem, Saria Nizameddin, Sarah Drummond Pringle, Sufian Barakat, Suzan Taher, Stephanie Dumont, Stephan Kososhak, Stephanie Katus, Susan Jane Wainwright, Sydney Benaim, Tatiana Zaza, Thamer Salman, Thomas Oppong, Tristan Kwiatinski, Ty Hashem, Wael Pharaon, Xiao Ling Xu, and Yasushi Tomita.

A Time We’ll Always Carry With Us More than two decades later, we carry those years within us. Yes, we left with degrees, but more importantly, we left with a shared identity — global citizens shaped by the classrooms of AUP, the tables of the Amex Café, and the streets of Paris.

For the Class of 1998, Paris was not just a city where we studied — it was where we lived, grew, and found each other. For a brief, brilliant moment, we were citizens of the world together. And that is something none of us will ever lose.

A Time We’ll Always Carry With Us More than two decades later, the memories of those years remain vivid. We left AUP with degrees, yes, but more importantly, we left with friendships, experiences, and a shared identity as global citizens. The classrooms taught us knowledge, the Amex Café taught us community, and the streets of Paris taught us independence, curiosity, and the joy of discovery.

For the Class of 1998, Paris was never just a city — it was a living, breathing part of our education and our lives. We learned, we laughed, we explored, and we grew together. Those years shaped us, and the bonds we formed continue to enrich our lives, no matter where we are in the world.

The Class of 1998 — forever shaped by Paris, forever friends.