When Victoria McGowan, 18, mounted the podium Friday night at Correlieu’s graduation ceremonies to accept her Dogwood she was one of only a few to receive a double Dogwood.
One for her English accomplishment and one for her French.
From the first time she set foot in elementary school, Victoria has been working towards her goal of bilingualism.
“I started kindergarten at École Baker elementary school in the French Immersion program,” she proudly admitted.
The program doesn’t dismiss English, in fact, McGowan said English was incorporated right from the beginning, however, students function in French in the classroom.
This wasn’t a problem for McGowan, in fact she thrived, but said once she entered high school there were a few challenges.
From a virtual total immersion environment in elementary school, McGowan found the transition to predominately English program in such subjects as science difficult.
“All the terms in English are different from those in French,” she said.
And as she advanced in high school, fewer and fewer French classes were offered. By Grade 12 she had only the French class.
“It also messes with your schedule as French is an elective so you have to choose French over, say drama or music,” she said somewhat wistfully.
Although she agreed it would have been cool to attend an all-French high school, she enjoyed herself in Quesnel’s French/English program.
If McGowan were to say what she regretted most about being in the French Immersion program it would have been the inability to speak French other than in
school.
“My parents would have liked the second language for themselves and that’s why they gave us the opportunity,” she said.
“The toughest part is not having a chance to use my French very much.
“I have to go all summer without speaking French.”
On a recent visit to Ottawa, she not only used her French language skills to communicate but was also asked to translate for some of the chaperones and students.
After graduation, McGowan plans to attend Summit Pacific Bible College in Abbotsford for the eight-month general studies program, after which she will then embark on a one-month mission to Thailand.
“My goal right now is to become a teacher, I’d like to teach overseas using my French,” she said.
“My interests are English and History but with French it opens doors to a more versatile resume and teaching positions.”
McGowan sees her French Immersion background as nothing but positive and recommends the program to any parents considering where to enroll their children in kindergarten.
“It can open a lot of doors,” she said.
“This program helps me appreciate other languages and cultures, I’m more organized with keeping up with two languages and I have to be more disciplined with myself in terms of homework and the quality of work I produced.
“French Immersion is available to anyone, its a matter of motivation and family support.”
McGowan thinks of herself as bilingual,
often thinking first in French.
“I definitely dream in French,” she said with a smile.