Lauren introduction
Hi, my name is Lauren. I am currently a junior at National Cathedral School (NCS) in Washington DC, and have been a student there since my freshmen year in high school. I am a member of the Varsity Softball Team and participate in the Chorale, a large choral organization with participants from both my all girls school and the all boys school, St. Albans, on the other side of the close. In addition, I am applying for a position to be a peer leader, a role of leadership to help the incoming freshmen make the necessary adjustment to high school, and will hopefully be a member of the Madrigals Singers, a highly selective a cappella choir, as a part of my senior year. I am an avid traveler and have been to 4 continents in countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, England, Ireland, Scotland, Hungary, South Africa, Egypt, Mexico, Australia and many more.
This love for traveling is one of the many reasons why I have chosen to be a part of this trip to Morocco. Although I have been to Africa before, Morocco has always been a desired destination for me as it has many attributes which interest me: a familiar language, a rich culture, and an outlook on life very much different from my own. French has been a part of my life since the second grade, when I took my first French class. Although I must admit that it was not the most challenging of classes at the time, as I was only in second grade, it exposed me to a world apart from my own. The difference in fluency and accent inspired me to think beyond what I knew. Throughout the rest of my elementary and middle school career, I continued taking French classes, however I felt as if I was not greatly progressing in the less than advanced classes. Once having graduated from 8th grade, and learning that I would be attending NCS, a school prized for its rigorous French program, I knew I would need some extra help to catch up to the level that my peers would be upon entering the 9th grade. With help from the head of the language department, Madame Spittler, I quickly learned new grammar and vocabulary that would help me to succeed in my upcoming French class. Now, after having taken 3 years of French in my more than challenging and rigorous French class, I feel a sort of connection to French as it is what initially connected me to my new school. On top of all this, my best friend, Alix, has French origins and is fluent in the language. I love going to her house and experiencing the language as it is currently used in daily life. This friendship I have found has thus brought me even closer to the language and culture as a whole, as I intend to major in French in college.
Morocco was a great choice for me as I not only now have a personal connection to one of its national languages, but an academic one as well. In addition to simply learning French, I have spent much of this year learning about the French francophone countries in Northern Africa, namely Morocco. Our class read 2 books about families, traditions, and religions of Morocco, allowing me to understand and appreciate the culture and traditions present there. This appreciation for Moroccan culture and language, in addition to my love for traveling, makes this trip the perfect option for me this summer as it will immerse me in French, thus making me more comfortable speaking and understanding, as well as in a new culture and foreign experience.