For a long time, Grant Bermann ’09 didn’t want to go to Princeton — mostly because it was so close to home. His mother, Sandra, is chair of the comparative literature department, and the family even lived on campus during her years as master of Stevenson Hall.

Bermann’s thoughts about college started to change during high school, when he outgrew the language courses offered at Princeton High and started taking French and German classes at the University.

It was during his junior year that he took Professor Marie-Hélène Huet’s “French 357: Literature, Culture and Politics, 1789 to Present.” The course, which Bermann still describes as one of his favorites at Princeton, examined three defining moments in modern French history through literature, film and historical research. After taking such a demanding, intellectually exciting class, Bermann was convinced that Princeton was the place for him.

While still a senior in high school, Bermann also joined L’Atelier, Princeton’s all-French theater workshop. As one of only five or six actors in each of the group’s three yearly productions, he’s taken on many challenging roles, sometimes interpreting several characters in one play. After living in France for three separate years when his parents went there on sabbatical, he’s found L’Atelier to be an excellent, nonacademic way to deepen his appreciation of French culture while polishing his proficiency in the language.

Bermann has served as the Class of 2009 president for the past three years. He never ran for student government in high school, but thought that campaigning would be a great way to meet people at Princeton. “I also knew a lot about the University and cared about it,” Bermann says of his decision to run for student government. “I wanted to help Princeton as an institution.”

Socially, says Bermann, Princeton gives students endless opportunities to meet new people through activities, clubs, classes and residence halls. The outlook doesn’t dim after sophomore year, says Bermann; as a junior, he lives in Whitman College, one of the University’s new four-year residential colleges, but maintains his membership in the Tower eating club. “The field of possible friends is constantly being expanded.”