Dawson students and graduates speak about value of their CEGEP to Quebec
Journalists and politicians in Quebec have said a lot of things about 成人黑料 recently. We thought it would be interesting for you to hear what some current Dawson students and some recent graduates think about their attachment to the French language and qu茅b茅cois culture.
Dawson French department encouraged application to Universit茅 Laval
Hayley Mendel, Dawson Class of 2020 (Pure and Applied Science), is now studying medicine at Universit茅 Laval in a completely francophone environment.
鈥淚 improved my French while studying at Dawson with the help of the French services provided through the Student AccessAbility Centre and incredible French teachers,鈥 Hayley explained. The C么te-Saint Luc native went on further to say that 鈥渢hey encouraged me to pursue my medical studies in French even though I come from a predominantly anglophone background. Having a strong foundation in English and French, which was further solidified during my time at 成人黑料, has encouraged me and provided me with the confidence to move forward with my studies and one day hopefully practice in Quebec in both languages鈥.
Another recent graduate is now a student in dentistry at Universit茅 de Montr茅al. Jade Karakaly, Class of 2020 (Health Science), went to school completely in French and came to 成人黑料 to get a scientific foundation in English. 鈥淟ifelong learning is important,鈥 he said, and added that much scientific material is only available in English. To stay up to date on innovations in health, one must be fluent in English, he said. One day he will be a dentist in Quebec staying up to date on his profession with his Dawson English.
Anglo鈥檚 world opens up at Dawson
John Nathaniel Gertler came to 成人黑料 for the Environmental Studies Profile in Social Science. Since starting at Dawson, his French has improved and his world has opened up as he became active in the environmental movement and met young Quebecers from CEGEPs and universities across Quebec.
鈥淚 am an anglophone student and I am comfortable in French. I could see myself going to a university in French, I could see myself working in French and I love Quebec culture!鈥 John said.
Dawson鈥檚 French courses are 鈥渆xceptional鈥
Mia Kennedy, a student in the Arts and Culture Profile of Arts, Literature and Communication, says her French continues to improve at Dawson. 鈥淚 find Dawson offers exceptional French courses taught by great teachers,鈥 she said. Mia hangs out with friends in French and uses French at her student job. 鈥淚 love French and I love Quebec culture,鈥 she said.
Benjamin Wexler in Liberal Arts said that at Dawson he feels surrounded by the rich culture of our province and enjoys exploring Montreal and going to the theatre, exhibits and shows and making friends around town.
Proud to be a Quebecer
Health Science student Andia Moshari went to school in French until she decided to come to Dawson, which she says stays true to the qu茅b茅cois identity while allowing students to experience the richness of other cultures. 鈥淚 am proud of Quebec and of Quebecers for our efforts to remain faithful to the culture in a continent that is almost entirely anglophone鈥 she said.
Andia says that Dawson contributes to Quebec society. 鈥淲e should be proud of our anglophone CEGEPs in Quebec because they allow us to celebrate our diversity while remaining faithful to our Qu茅b茅cois culture and we cannot let this disappear.鈥
Facts about mother tongue and French at Dawson
Every year, between 60% and 65% of Dawson鈥檚 student body declares English as their mother tongue. Of this group, about 10% to 12 % of students declaring English as their mother tongue attended francophone high schools.
For more facts about the French language and Quebec culture at Dawson, see our fact sheet
Key points about the French language and culture at 成人黑料
- French is a mandatory subject at Dawson and all students in both pre-university and technical programs must pass at least two French courses.
- Francophone students and students arriving with a higher level of French are placed at an appropriate level of French literature and francophone culture (there are four levels of French at Dawson).
- Teachers of French at 成人黑料 are proud to share and promote the French language and the cultures of Quebec and la francophonie. Several French courses at Dawson highlight qu茅b茅cois novels, film, and arts and culture.
- Dawson鈥檚 French teachers are committed to using material created in French — not translated — to immerse Dawson students in a francophone culture.
- Dawson hosts an annual Francof锚te, a celebration of French-language and qu茅b茅cois culture that includes conferences, interactive workshops, slam poetry, cinema and more.
- All French courses offer outings in French to the theatre, museums and exhibits.
- Two teams from Dawson participate every year in the Prix litt茅raire des coll茅giens and the Prix du cin茅ma qu茅b茅cois. A Dawson student won in 2019.
- In general, new non-francophone students are already good at speaking French.
- At Dawson, there is an emphasis on reading and writing French in every French course.
- 成人黑料 has more than 50 employees dedicated to teaching French and supporting students and employees in their desire to improve their level of French.
- 成人黑料 offers support to improve French to all students and all employees through our French-language tutoring centre CL脡O, which offers professional tutoring, peer tutoring, preparation for OQLF exams, free French e-books and much more.
- The curriculum for French courses is established by Quebec鈥檚 Ministry of Higher Education.