Paris High School student selected as a 2023 French for the Future Ambassador

By Carolina Saenz

Thirty-five Grades 10 and 11 bilingual students from across Canada will gather for a National Ambassador Youth Forum in Halifax this summer and one Paris District High School (PDHS) student will be among the group. Grade 10 student Trudeau Gulati applied for the prestigious French for the Future Ambassador program and was selected to attend the six-day event this August 13-18 where he will sharpen his French language skills, and gain valuable leadership and project management skills.

The Gulatis, Trudeau and his parents Justin and Krista Gulati, shared more about this famed educational and social opportunity. Truly motivated to become fully bilingual by the end of his high school years, the FNJA program will be a valuable part of his goal. But how did Gulati learn about the program and what experience motivated him to apply?

It was a school trip to St. Donat, led by PDHS French Department Head Tanya Govedarica back in February of this year, where students shared special moments that ultimately encouraged Gulati to apply for FNJA.

“While on this trip, Mme. Govedarica had our entire group do a song circle where we were introduced to francophone culture through Quebecois folk music. I’m not a singer, and if you heard my voice, you would likely tell me to stop, but the experience of the class recording a song by Bernard Ouellette called Roche Percé was the catalyst to applying for FNJA. One of the questions an applicant had to answer was what activity would you bring back to your community as an ambassador? When I saw this question, I knew the answer would be a song circle or to get a musician to help

Trudeau says he’s studied French since Grade 2, but really started to take the subject seriously when he took Mme. Thomas’ Grade 9 French Class because she emphasized the importance of French and made the classes a great deal of fun, he says Mme Thomas has recently retired

Submitted photos communicate or introduce francophone culture to my school community. I answered this in the short essay and video competition on YouTube The support I received from my teachers at PDHS in applying for FNJA can’t be understated, and I can’t wait for the experience,” explains Gulati.

As a former PDHS student herself, Tanya Govedarica, is passionate about making a positive impact on the school and is confident Trudeau will make an excellent francophone youth ambassador Continued

“This is only his second year at PDHS, and he's already been quite the trailblazer with his fresh perspective, passion for social justice, and involvement in various clubs and extra-curricular activities We know he's going to continue to do some great things moving forward and we can't wait to see what kind of positive impact he's going to make on Francophonie within the school, community, and beyond,” said Govedarica.

Gulati spent his elementary school years at North Ward School before graduating to PDHS two years ago He is a very active member of his school as a part of the Student Council Executive, and plays on several sports teams including soccer, tennis, and badminton. He has big goals for the near future which include not only advancing his bilingual skills but eventually applying for the Student Page position at the Parliament of Canada upon his Grade 12 graduation

“My goal is to pass the oral French exam required, whether or not I get the position. I want to communicate in both languages as I advance my career after high school. Visiting Paris, France, last summer with my parents made me feel that I want to communicate the same way I do in English if I ever get the chance to be amongst French-speaking people,” he writes by email to the Paris Independent. This story, however, wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging the incredible support and inspiration PDHS teachers provide their students everyday, and sometimes this support leads to truly remarkable stories like Trudeau’s.

“I have studied French since Grade 2, but I only started to take the subject seriously when I got to Grade 9, where I had a very inspirational teacher in Mme. Thomas (she recently retired) – she emphasized the importance of French and made the classes a great deal of fun,” shares Gulati

As for the proud parents, Justin and Krista Gulati are very thankful for the recognition FNJA has placed on their son. “He has some big ambitions, but organizations like this can help shape the development of a civicminded young person in today’s world and essentially assist them in understanding the possibilities for their futures and giving them a road map with guidance on how to get there. We are excited for him and the rest of the youth ambassadors,” they said.

Both parents hope Trudeau will gain inspiration to be a good community member who shares the experience with others as he enhances his French skills.

“We appreciate the teachers at PDHS and the opportunities they make possible for young people, as the teachers at the high school have changed how our son thinks and acts in the community. We hope other young people recognize the teachers working in our community to enhance the lives of young people - like our son has been lucky enough to be a part of,” they concluded

Founded in 1997, French for the Future was originally a two-day conference bringing together students from the Toronto area. Its objective was to demonstrate the value of a bilingual or Frenchlanguage education and to create continuity between secondary and post-secondary education. Today, French for the Future is a national non-profit organization that aims to inspire a passion for Canada’s official bilingualism among youth from grades 7 to 12. To do so, it has created 7 programs since its foundation, which are accessible to all Canadian students.