Where Are They Now?

When Keri Simmons Lesur was growing up in Dublin, she always knew she wanted to get out and see the world. Twenty-five years later, she’s lived her dream — she has traveled widely in Europe and elsewhere, and lived and worked in New York and Canada, and her three children are all dual citizens.

“Moving was very challenging as well, but I’m so grateful we did that because it really changed my view and perspective on people, the world, everything.” she said. “If you don’t know anything other than your little small piece of the world you’re missing out on so much. I think it is so valuable to be able to know and learn from people all over the world. It for sure changes your perspective, and I think it has an effect on how I want to be — both as a person and as a parent.”

Lesur graduated from Dublin in 1996, and went on to college at Tarleton, where she studied business administration. She balanced her classwork with part-time jobs, first at Walmart and then at Saint Gobain Abrasives (the company was then called Norton) in Stephenville.

“I really enjoyed what I did there,” she said. “I worked at a quality department there, but I did a lot of employee training and specification, and I did a lot of work with HR. I really enjoyed the business atmosphere, and just getting to be around all different kinds of people all the time.”

While there, Lesur met Antoine Lesur. Antoine had grown up in France, and was completing the country’s required year of work abroad at St. Gobain, a French company. The two became friends and soon started dating.

Lesur graduated from Tarleton in 2001 with her bachelors in business administration and human resources management. After graduating she stayed on at St. Gobain, and then in 2002, Antoine took a transfer position in Canada, so the couple moved there.

It took Lesur a while to get the go ahead from the Canadian government to be able to start working, but once she sorted out her visa, she soon found a job working at a company called Yazaki North America. “It was pretty cool, she said. “Yazaki is a Japanese company that works for car manufacturers, building electrical wiring harnesses and components for cars.”

Lesur worked in an office at the company, working to coordinate orders with car manufacturers in Brazil, the Philippines and Mexico for parts for Toyota and Honda cars.

Meanwhile, Antoine was still working for St. Gobain, and after two-and-a-half years in Canada he took another transfer position, this time to a plant in upstate New York. “We wanted to get back into the States for a lot of reasons,” Lesur said. “We both knew a lot of things would be easier if we were back in the States — we were both from different countries, for one thing, and it was kind of hard to be living in a third one. And we wanted to start a family.”

So the couple moved to a town called Watervliet, which is outside of the state’s capital city, Albany. It didn’t take Lesur long to find a job there working for a pool manufacturing company. She worked in purchasing, buying pool parts from different companies and helping get them out to customers around the country.

The Lesurs had their oldest son while living in New York. Then, nearly four years later, the family moved again, this time back to Stephenville. “When we moved back, I was pregnant with our daughter, and she was born not long after,” Lesur said. “After she was born, I stayed home with the kids until they were old enough to go to school.”

In addition to being a full-time mom, Lesur also took on volunteer work, helping out at the schools and volunteering with Meals on Wheels in Stephenville.

When her youngest son was one, she started working again, this time for a local company called AJT Safety as a hiring specialist. She works to hire truck drivers for the company and ensure that they have all the needed licenses and qualifications.

When she’s not working, Lesur is usually volunteering, and serves on the boards of directors for both Meals on Wheels and the Stephenville Education Foundation.

She has enjoyed being back close to her parents, Randy and Micki Simmons, who still live in Dublin. “I can help take care of them as they need it and do things for them and with them,” she said.

The Lesurs have three children, all dual citizens of France and the United States. The oldest, Alec, is 14, Madi is 12, and Ashton is 7. All three go to school in Stephenville. Being back in town and close to her support system has also been nice, especially after living abroad and far away for so long.

Throughout her life, Lesur has drawn inspiration from strong women in her life. “I love and adore strong, powerful, smart women,” she said. “That’s always an inspiration to me. I love that our world is changing so that my daughter can see that she can be and do anything she wants to be.”

Lesur’s advice to Dublin graduates is to push themselves to do things outside of their comfort zone. “Don’t limit yourself to what you think is only available to you easily,” she said. “Try to experience the world and see things through other people’s eyes. It really makes a big difference.”

Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other graduates, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.