Meet Our Team
Meet our experienced and passionate exchange program leaders.
Arielle Fernandes
President and Treasurer
Arielle who arrived from Geneva, Switzerland in 1990, always wanted to be a teacher. A native French speaker, she completed a Graduate Diploma in Teaching in 2005 and has been nurturing a love of language and Francophone culture across primary and secondary schools since 2006. From 2008 to 2021 at the School of Isolated and Distance Education, she guided Year 1 through Year 12 students, fostering confidence and curiosity in every learner.
Since joining WALRSE in 2015, Arielle has taken on various roles supporting both host and travelling students. She led large student groups to Reunion Island in 2019 and 2024, witnessing the lasting friendships and personal growth that emerge from the exchange. Today, she continues to enrich the local Francophone community as a French teacher at the Alliance Française of Perth and the South Perth Learning Centre.
Maria Melchiorre
Vice President
Maria is a foundation member of the exchange program, with a deep-rooted passion for Reunion Island since her first visit in 1982. Over the past 40 years, she has supported hundreds of students and their families, forming enduring friendships and witnessing their growth through this unique cultural and linguistic journey.
A former Head of Languages and experienced French teacher across public and private schools, Maria has played a pivotal role in encouraging language learning. Many of her students have gone on to win state-level awards, pursue French at university, and even become French and English teachers themselves, both in WA and Reunion.
Pat Young
Data Secretary
Meet Pat Young, a cornerstone of the Rossmoyne Senior High School community. With a career centred around teaching French, Pat has been an integral committee member since 2004, contributing her expertise in various capacities.
Currently, she holds the pivotal role of coordinating the Rossmoyne SHS Gifted and Talented (Languages) Program, a testament to her commitment to nurturing linguistic excellence. Pat Young’s enduring dedication has left an indelible mark, shaping the language education landscape within our school and beyond.
Leanne Teti
Minutes Secretary and Archivist
Leanne joined the committee in 2024 as Minutes Secretary and Archivist, but her connection to the program began in 1984 as a student preparing for the 1985 exchange. She later studied French at Edith Cowan University and became a dedicated teacher of the language across WA.
Currently teaching at Swan Christian College, Leanne brings a broad skillset developed from working with students from Kindergarten to Year 12. Her professional development includes a “Stage de Noumea” with CREIPAC and a cultural immersion in France, where she met with mayors of cities including Draguignan, Marseille, and Aix-en-Provence.
Sabine Kuuse
Committee Member
Sabine is a Lecturer of French Studies at the University of Western Australia, with a focus on language education and francophone cultures in the Indo-Pacific. Her work aims to expand and challenge students to embrace a variety of cultures and thoughts. She is actively involved in student mobility and community engagement in the francophone Indo-Pacific and has organised and led several study tours for students and teachers to New Caledonia and French Polynesia. As President of the Federation of Associations of Teachers of French in Australia, she is dedicated to supporting French teachers in Australia.