She earned the B.A. in French and Foreign Service from Baylor University (1992), the M.A. in French from the Middlebury College School in France (1993), and the Ph.D. in Francophone Studies from the University of Illinois (1999). Dr. Zahnd teaches all levels of French literature and language as well as elementary Spanish. She is a co-editor of The South Carolina Modern Language Review and has published several articles pertaining to Francophone literature and Caribbean studies, along with an intermediate ESL textbook, Let's Get Real. Dr. Zahnd is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a PEO national scholar, the 2003 recipient of the Sampere-Ulloa Spanish scholarship and the 2005 recipient of the Francis Marion University Distinguished Faculty Award for community service. She lives in Florence with her husband Timothy Bergfeld and their daughter Anastasia and son Alex.