Their Stories

Isabelle Agnew

Being bilingual was a natural process for Isabelle who ended up working in the Government.

Jason Alcorn

Jason learned from a young age the advantages of speaking two languages.

Meagan Blacquiere

She learned science while learning French and that led her to pursue Med school

Michael Sanderson

Michael is a radio host, Journalist being bilingual has let him communicate with a wider audience

Anahaero Doelle

Anahaero was able to fulfill her dream of becoming a circus performer thanks to the French she learned growing up

Thomas Haslam

Student at University/Explorer Program, French helped this young man decide his future

Keara Lundrigan

Law Student, French paved the way for Keara to work at the government

Tammy Manor

Teacher:Tammy discovered opportunities and new skills after becoming bilingual

Jeff Butt

He has created opportunities for his community to use French in a sports environment. Director of Policy + Tae Kwon Do

Connor MacIntosh

Connor's path learning French opened doors and brought lifelong friends.

Areta Boone

The first time she traveled to a Francophone country she realized how lucky she'd been to take French in school.

Miles Turnbull

Going from unilingual to bilingual was like a walk in the park for Miles.

Natalie Pendergast

Communications/Community Relations PM: Through culture, Natalie mastered French, which she has used all of her life.

Joey Kitson

Musician/Learning Manager at Holland College: A musician who learned French and his kids who decided to learn it because of their father.

Paul Killom

His second language learning improved his achievement in other assignments.

Rosalyn Ridlington Abbott

Speaking two languages has been an essential part of her career as an educator

Brenda Gallant

It took her some time to value the benefits of being bilingual and she hasn't looked back

Colin MacDonald

Teacher: French has helped him get every job he's ever had.

Emily Colin

Learning French let her connect to her roots and discover her heritage.

Phillipe de Montigny

He was able to pursue his life-long dream of becoming a journalist and keeps being involved in the Francophone community

Adam Gushaty

Adam plans and conducts flight tests on all Royal Canadian Air Force helicopters. He credits his success to his bilingualism

Madeleine Williams

Madeleine competed at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in cross country skiing

Victoria Wishart

Victoria’s company, has numerous clients from French-speaking regions, thus whenever a French inquiry comes in, she has the pleasure of being the contact person

Anita Rudichuk

Media: Anita helps her students have fun while learning about various cultures and traditions through dance

Marcie Brulotte

Marcie has instilled a love of language and the value of a bilingual education in her children, whom are also enrolled in a French Immersion program.

Cynthia Marks

Cynthia has always had a passion for languages and is thrilled to be able to work on subtitles in different languages for movies and television shows

Katherine Evans

Through her bilingual interactions with the public, she has met some amazing people from all over the world

David Taylor

David works for a bilingual law firm based in Ottawa, Vancouver and Moncton

Rachel Black

Cultural Anthropologist: After developing a keen interest in French culture during her immersion experience, she completed her undergraduate studies in French history, language, and literature

David Helliwell

Smart Energy and Software Business: French has been an asset throughout David’s career. With his bilingualism, he has drummed with West African music groups and has travelled the world as a professional windsurfing racer.

Will Stroet

After teaching as a French Immersion teacher for several years, Will developed a side project as a musician. He now performs bilingually

Pierre Chinniah

Unsure of how he wanted to pursue a career in the field, he began culinary school in Paris, France

Blythe McKay

Director of Broadcast Resources: Blythe began university wanting to be a veterinarian, but after an academic switch, she rediscovered the usefulness of her French, pursing a degree in international relations

Barry Hartman

After graduating from high school, Barry moved to Whistler to pursue a career as a professional snowboarder–a career that introduced him to francophone friends, and allowed him to travel around the world

Jeffrey Chang

In one of his first jobs out of university, Jeffrey spent several weeks a year in France interacting with client

Casey Edmunds

Francophone Jeunesse: Casey works with the Francophone Youth organization of Alberta to engage young francophones and francophiles with francophone culture

Marjie Brown

Marjie has spent much of her professional career working entirely in French, and currently works for the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Maryse Bernard

Musician and Bilingual Journalist: Maryse is a bilingual journalist with Radio-Canada as well as a musician

Jennifer Burke

Now Digital Strategy in Switzerland: Jennifer was part of the French language pilot program in Whitehorse, YK. She now lives in a francophone region of Switzerland

Danielle Lang

Danielle was part of the first class of Immersion in Yukon in 1981 and has been teaching French since 2002

Lori Simcox

Worked for Fed Gov/Owner of Unity Clothing Boutique: French has been useful to Lori, who has worked as a consultant for many projects with the Federal government

Claire Ness

Claire studied performing arts at l’Ècole nationale de Cirque in Montreal, where she met friends from around the world

Jessica Lott Thompson

Lawyer/Director of YK Human Rights Commission: Jessica has dedicated her career to ensuring the rights of others are protected, in both official languages!

Rebecca Alty

From a young age, Rebecca always knew that learning another language could open doors in the future. As mayor of Yellowknife, by speaking French she's able to serve Yellowknife's Francophone communities.

Cole Marshall

Learning French allowed Cole to reconnect with his roots and meet Francophone visitors in the Northwest Territories.

Cole Marshall

Cole est un golfeur professionnel au Yellowknife Golf Club. Apprendre le français lui a permis de renouer avec ses racines françaises et de rencontrer de nombreux visiteurs francophones sur le territoire!

Rebecca Alty

Dès son plus jeune âge, Rebecca a toujours su que l’apprentissage d’une autre langue pouvait ouvrir des portes à l’avenir. En tant que maire de Yellowknife, en parlant français, elle peut servir les communautés francophones de Yellowknife

Avery Rueb

From the United States to France and Canada. Discover how French changed this entrepreneur’s life and the impact it had on his career.

Melissa Spensieri

Dancing helped her become fluent in French. She now owns a dance studio and is able to communicate with her students in both languages.

The Honourable Mahmud Jamal

Learning French led him to a career in law and now, he serves as a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Learn about Justice’s Jamal inspiring story: from immigrating to Canada, learning French and being able to hear cases in both official languages.

Sandhya Mylabathula

Sandhya’s journey learning French started in the third grade. Sandhya currently studies the impacts of concussions on neurological function. Speaking French has helped her reach a much larger audience and has greatly enhanced her career opportunities.

Mariah Meilleur

Mariah Meilleur