March is Mois de la Francophonie. The University is joining people around the world in celebrating the French language and French culture in all its forms. Whether it’s your mother tongue or you’re new to the language of Molière, here’s why members of our community have chosen to immerse themselves in French.
Min Ji (Esther) Kim
Student
International Development and Globalization, Minor in Asian Studies, French Immersion & CO-OP
“When I moved to Canada at age 8 from Korea, I met a Quebec student visiting my elementary class as an exchange student, and I was mesmerized by the beauty of French! Since I found out that it is Canada’s other official language, it has been my challenge and goal to also express myself in French! I enrolled in late French immersion in British Columbia while doing English as a second language (ESL). After completing my French immersion through high school, uOttawa was obviously one of my top choices for French immersion and its CO-OP program in a bilingual city!”
Jordan Daniels
Student
Joint Honours in Political Science and Public Administration with French Immersion
“I chose to study in the French immersion program to open up more opportunities for careers in the future! uOttawa’s unique bilingual programs have allowed me to study politics in both languages, and have let me discover so many more great job opportunities for bilingual students. Studying in French immersion just seems like the best way to do it, since I want to work for the government!”
Jovan Groen
Senior Analyst — Strategic Research and Impacts Evaluation
Teaching and Learning Support Service
“As a researcher, I have never benefited more than from having two networks to pull from. The francophone culture has its own research and practice, as does the anglophone culture. Being able to pull from both is a tremendous advantage.”
Joanelle Barbon
Student
Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Accounting
“I chose to study French because I knew that being bilingual would mean more job opportunities after university. I planned to try it out for a year but after the first term, I came to realize that French studies at uOttawa gave me so many opportunities to connect with people, both francophone and French immersion students. This made me develop a genuine appreciation for the language. I’ll totally be pursuing French studies all the way!”
Sabrina Sotiriu
Student
PhD in Political Science
“Both my MA and PhD are bilingual. At first, it felt forced and I was so nervous but by the third course in French, I just felt empowered and so glad to have had this opportunity. I’m bragging to everyone that my graduate degrees are both bilingual. It's such a bonus!!!!!”
Jaylen Prince-Pinnock
Student
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
“Because it’s a great asset to have. The language is awesome and it challenges me, something that I like. I hear speaking more than one language helps slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s”
Deanna Nickels
Alumna enrolled for September
Honours BA with a Specialization in Lettres Françaises, Minor in English. Teachers' college for FSL in September
“I chose lettres françaises as a way to continue learning French while being in a completely French environment. It’s a francophone program and I’m actually anglophone. But I started learning French in junior kindergarten and did French immersion all throughout school so I figured it would be a great opportunity. I finished in December 2018 and now I’m headed to teacher’s college in September to become a French teacher!”
Gerrit Wesselink
Alumnus
Bachelor of Social Sciences, Politics and Public Administration
“I went to a francophone school in Thunder Bay, even though I come from an anglophone family. I chose the University of Ottawa in French to improve myself! Today, I speak as if were born in Quebec or Eastern Ontario, and I work for the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana!”
David Graham
Provost and Vice-President, Academic
“My parents, who are unilingual anglophones, registered my sister and me in after-school French classes in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I discovered then that I had an aptitude for the language and I began to like it. I’ve been working in French language and literature for a very long time, and I’ve been able to go live in France and Quebec and to meet French-language colleagues all around the world. Lastly, it’s given me loads of rewarding opportunities.”
Anna-Charlotte Tremblay
Student
Honours BA in Theatre
“It’s important for me to keep francophone culture alive in Ontario and to encourage it as much as possible.”
Marlene Hoff
Research facilitator
Faculty of Education
“I was one of the first students when French immersion was introduced in the Cornwall school system in 1958. My father, who was francophone, knew that learning a second language would give me a better life. I was able to work in translation for nearly 15 years in Toronto, and when I arrived in Ottawa, I quickly found work because I was bilingual. When travelling, I easily pick up new languages, like Spanish, Italian or Portuguese, because they’re all based on Latin. I’m very grateful to my father, who had this vision for his children.”
Dianne Séguin
Student
Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in Social Work
“It’s hard to lose your English because the majority of Canadians speak English. However, it’s easy to lose your French if you don’t practise it. Education in French is a privilege. We have to take advantage of it and be proud of our Franco-Ontarian identity — because, yes, there are francophones outside Quebec!”
