Lindsay McAnally’s college plans changed when she took her first tour of campus.
“I hadn’t planned on studying here but after seeing how beautiful and homey the campus was and how nice the students were, I made my decision,” she said.
“The atmosphere is very personable, the French program intrigued me, and I just had a feeling that this was the place for me,” she said. “I turned out to be right.”
While intrigued by the program, Lindsay didn’t start off in French.
“I feel that my experience at UL Lafayette is one that many students go through,” she said. “I spent two years trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and what I wanted to major in.
“I made a complete shift from the sciences to the arts, but the important thing is that I finally found the major that stuck,” she said. “And if I could, I’d spend more time taking all the courses I wanted, but I don’t regret my years before finding French.”
Once Lindsay started toward her degree in French, she saw the benefits. She also found her passion for sharing the language.
“I want to help others see that it is possible at any age to learn French and reap the personal benefits, but also to see the benefits for our French community here in Lafayette,” she said.
“After I graduate, I plan to continue with a Master of Arts in Teaching through the Escadrille program offered by CODOFIL (Council for the Development of French in Louisiana) and Centenary College,” she said.
“This program will allow me to spend a year in France in order to complete the master’s program,” she explained. “I will then be contracted for three years as a French immersion teacher. From there, I hope to either continue teaching French immersion or possibly moving to France and teaching English there.”
Lindsay chose a minor in philosophy for personal development. The skills she learned in this program are also relevant to her future career.
“Anyone can benefit from developing reasoning and critical thinking skills and learning to see things from multiple perspectives,” she said. “I also chose philosophy to have a better sense and of who I am and what I believe.
“I think that all of these skills will better me as a teacher where I will pass on these skills to my future students,” she said.
Lindsay’s combined experiences in the classroom and in student organizations gave her many of the skills that she hopes to pass along to her future students. She learned the importance of communication and networking, critical thinking and reasoning, and community engagement.
“After learning how to better do these things, I think it’s important that students learn these skills at a young age, which I hope to incorporate into my teaching practices,” she said.
Lindsay is part of the French club Francofous, as well as the Honors Program.
“Francofous has helped me meet many other French speakers who share a passion for the language and has helped my fluency and conversation skills in French,” she said. “It has also helped me be more involved with the Lafayette community."
“The Honors program has helped me push myself to be a more well-rounded student and meet other students with similar academic interests,” she said. “It has also given me the opportunity to learn about interesting topics I would have never otherwise learned through my major or courses, thanks to the student-led honors seminars.”
She has also been able to travel because of the French program.
“I think my favorite part about the French studies program at UL Lafayette would have to be the opportunities it gives for travel and real-life experience with the language,” she said.
“I have been able to spend a summer in Nova Scotia, Canada, at a highly-ranked immersion program and a semester studying in Caen, France,” she said, “both of which have helped my fluency in French while also giving me a better understanding of French and Francophone cultures.”
