Undergrad Selma Herrero Lepers takes home 2 prizes at the 2024 Délie ta langue! public-speaking competition
Concordia undergraduate student Selma Herrero Lepers finished with two prizes — the only contestant to do so — at the 2024 edition of the French-language public-speaking competition Délie ta langue!
The competition’s 13 finalists faced off at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec in Montreal on March 11.
The Concordia political science and economics student was awarded fourth prize by the jury, worth $1,000, and the Prix du public, worth $500. Along with the other participants, Herrero Lepers also received Antidote+ software offered by Druide informatique.
“I was a little stressed before going on stage, but the excitement and adrenaline were incredible,” she says.
“Even if I am a little disappointed that I didn’t reach the podium, I am grateful to have participated in this competition. I would definitely advise students to take more interest next year — it’s great!”
For her performance at the Université de Montréal–organized competition, Herrero Lepers wrote and presented a speech on the French expression apprendre par coeur (learning by heart).
Several special guests were in attendance, including Pascale Déry, Quebec’s minister of higher education, Jean-François Roberge, Quebec’s minister of the French language, and Dominique Malack, president and executive director of L’Office québécois de la langue française.
Last year, Concordia finalist Maxime Radet won second prize. This was the university’s third time participating in the contest, and it remains the only English-language institution involved.
“This extraordinary experience allowed me, alongside 12 other finalists, to celebrate the richness of the French language, to defend my ideas with conviction and to participate in an event that enriched me enormously,” Herrero Lepers adds.
Learn more about Concordia’s Réussir en français program.
