Langley's French program grads sought

Canadian Parents for French wants to hear from people who were in Langley French Immersion programs.

French programs have been in Langley since 1978 and the parent-led organization has launched Where Are They Now? to reconnect with them.

“Graduates of French immersion programs include Olympians, journalists, engineers, Ministers, teachers and so much more. For many others learning French created some unique opportunity, be it socially, culturally or professionally. We launched the WhereAreTheyNow.ca project to catch up with French immersion graduates from Langley, capture their experiences, and share their stories to help inspire current students,” said Patti Holm,  president of Canadian Parents for French BC and Yukon.

As part of summer-long project, Canadian Parents for French is on the search for many of these graduates from Langley.

Jeff Chang graduated from the Langley School District in 1993 and went on to study engineering physics at UBC.

“I had no idea where French Immersion would take me, but in 2001, it helped me secure a job with a very international client base, many of whom were in France,” he said. “During those first few years I spent many weeks per year in various parts of France. It is unlikely I would have gotten the job without French and would have been impossible to experience the successful trips I have had without the language skills I learned in French Immersion. I believe that the early introduction has assisted me in picking up bits and pieces of other languages as I travel.”

To learn more about the CPF program, go to WhereAreTheyNow.ca. The group wants to hear from graduates from your community so that we can learn how they used their French language education after high school.

This project will help reconnect with French language graduates, digitally capture many of their personal stories, and help inspire the current generation of French language learners, Holm said.