French minor Sarah Benmalek ‘24 on her MODLL experience
“My name is Sarah Benmalek, I just graduated from SCU in June 2024. I majored in Psychology and minored in French and absolutely loved the modern languages program at SCU. I've taken Spanish, French, and Italian classes through SCU. I grew up speaking French but had difficulty in my writing and reading skills before college. After taking many courses in the French and Francophone studies program I noticed my level of French writing, reading, and oral speaking incredibly enhanced, as well as my knowledge of French and Francophone cultures. I loved the incorporation of not only linguistic knowledge, but cultural knowledge of French and Francophone countries. I'm Moroccan so I enjoyed learning about my own Francophone country and heritage in some of these classes. The deep discussions we experienced during class and our written and oral exams were very beneficial to my increased skills in the language. After graduating, I began a part-time job at a French Preschool and Kindergarten in San Diego, Au Clair de Lune. I felt immensely prepared by my courses in French at SCU for the job. I now speak French all day during my shifts and feel comfortable and confident with my level of fluency. The SCU Modern Languages Department is amazing!”