French for the Future » Featured Student

Featured Student

July's Featured Student is Catheryne Gagnon.

Catheryne won first place in the French First Language category of our National Essay Contest. Her prize: a $20,000 scholarship to attend the University of Ottawa.

Congratulations and enjoy your time at university, Catheryne!

Catheryne with Allan Rock, President of the University of Ottawa.

Catheryne... in her own words:
I grew up in Orléans, a suburb of Ottawa. Both my parents are from Quebec, so French has always had an important place in my life. Since elementary school, I have attended school in French and I have always loved the language, be it reading, writing, or speaking it.

As for hobbies, I have many. I am an active person: I practise yoga, running, and I was in a basketball team for two years. I like going to concerts with my friends, going to the movies and having long discussions about history, politics, existential questions… anything, really!

I love to travel and have visited France, Belgium, England, Monaco Italy, Andorra, Panama, the United States, and, of course, Canada. I hope to have the opportunity to travel a lot more because for me, there is nothing comparable to discovering new places and soaking up their culture.

Catheryne on a recent trip to New York.

Name: Catheryne Gagnon

Age: 18

Grade: 12

City: Ottawa

First language: French

Favourite musicians: The Beatles

Favourite food: Pasta

Favourite French book: There are too many to pick just one!

Favourite way to practise French: By speaking French with my friends as well as travelling to Francophone countries.

Why she thinks it is important to learn French: It is a way of opening up to the world and to discover new cultures. Speaking French helps erase certain barriers when travelling or even when staying within Canada. Also, it is also a discovery of a wonderful language full of poetry.

Best experience “en français”: I went on a student exchange in France in grade 8. It was an incredible experience and I met people I will never forget.

The coolest Francophone country is, in her opinion: France for its culture, landscapes, accent, people, for the city of lights and all the memories I have of the country.

How she will use her French skills in the future: By studying in French at university, by travelling, and by using French in my career. Also, I dream of living in Switzerland one day, in the beautiful city of Geneva.

A place she would like to go: I want to visit each continent at least once.

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