PHS French teacher Sova Fisher’s journey to PHS spans multiple continents, cultures, and careers. Fisher spent her childhood in England, France, Taiwan, along with several short periods in Cambodia. After Cambodia’s collapse to the Khmer Rouge, Fisher’s family, who were stranded in Taiwan, decided to move to the United States.

Fisher’s relationship with language and culture has been important throughout her journey. She spent much of her education in French international schools, though she also spoke English and a bit of Mandarin.

“I went to French schools until 8th grade, then to an American high school, and then to [Dartmouth]. [Though] my parents … wanted to keep the [Cambodian] culture and the tradition alive in the house, we weren’t living in Cambodia most of the time, so it was very difficult,” said Fisher.

At Dartmouth, Fisher enrolled as a premed student but later switched to a double major in biology and French. After a brief stint in sports publishing, she decided to pursue a PhD in French at her husband’s recommendation. Fisher was accepted into a PhD program at Princeton University, where she worked as a precept for undergraduate French classes in addition to her research.

“I was a little intellectually demanding, [which] was sort of a challenge, and I learned [after] one of the comments from an undergrad to try [and] sort ease into the discussion, rather than [start] with a big question,” said Fisher.

However, after a while, Fisher realized that she wasn’t very excited about the job prospects in academia if she were to complete her PhD.

“I wrote one chapter of my dissertation, and I thought, ‘you know what, I want to stay here. I don’t really want to, you know, go teach in Arkansas or Alabama.’ At a university level, you have to go where the job is, because there are not that many posts,” said Fisher.

Fisher decided to apply as a French teacher to the local Princeton Charter School, where one of her daughters attended. “I got hired at the Charter School … and from the Charter School, I came to [PHS],” said Fisher. “This is what I think is my calling: with all this other stuff that I’ve done in my life, it just never really sort of felt like I made a difference or that I have the passion for it, whereas with teaching French … I love it. I love the culture, the language. I love teaching it, and I love the students.”

In the classroom, Fisher strives to create an environment where students feel engaged with each other and with the language.

“Whenever we do presentations, she gives us different partners and switches it up every time, so I know everyone in that class, and I have a really close bond with them all,” said Penelope Cardona-Fox ’26, a student in Fisher’s AP French class.

Fisher’s passion for language and teaching has been noticed by students and colleagues alike.

“In her classroom, students are expected to participate actively. There is a lot of group work, and the expectation is that everyone stays in the language throughout the class,” said Priscilla Russel, PHS’s world language supervisor. “[Fisher] is a very passionate teacher, and her enthusiasm is contagious. She loves teaching French, and this comes through in her classes.”