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PIERRE C. FRALEY SCHOLARSHIP

PRESENTATION

Applications are now closed for 2023. Next scholarship will be offered in 2024 (deadline: February 15, 2024)

 The purpose of the Pierre C. Fraley Scholarship is to give students the opportunity to increase their language proficiency in French and to enrich their understanding of French culture and contemporary society.

To be eligible for the Pierre C. Fraley Scholarship the applicant must meet the criteria listed below: 

  • The applicant must be a French language student, with at least a B1 level, or be a French teacher with no more than 3 years of experience. 
  • The applicant must be applying to a French program. The program must be conducted in French, and be located in either the United States or in a Francophone country and is subject to the approval of the Alliance Française's Scholarship committee. 
  • The committee may require an oral or written report of the recipient's progress after completion of the program

The Alliance Française (AF) scholarship committee will weigh need, merit, and the applicant’s career plans when awarding the scholarship in the amount of $3,000.

Preference will be given to residents of the tri-state area (PA-NJ-DE) or to out-of area students who are matriculated at a university in the tri-state area.

After finishing the project the recipient must summit to the scholarship committee, within 30 days, proof of completion and an evaluation of the project by a superior.

In addition, the recipient is required to write a 500 word report describing the experience in France.


HOW TO APPLY


The deadline for applications to be received by the AF is February 15, 2024
and candidates will be contacted by March 15th.

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM & INSTRUCTIONS ONLINE APPLICATION FORM & INSTRUCTIONS

  • Complete the online application form (where ‘online application form’ is hyperlinked) which requires the upload of the following supporting materials.
  • cover letter written in French, 500 word maximum, describing their personality: their qualities and their strengths academically and personally.
  • A ​written essay​ in French, 500 word maximum, describing their reason for applying and career plans and how they intend to benefit from the program of study. They need to explain when and why did they start learning French.
  • A 2 to 5-minute video recording of their spoken French presenting themself in a different way than a cover letter. 
  • All applicants must submit 2 letters of recommendation. At least one of these must be from the applicant's current teacher of French. (University students: can be submitted by mail on university letterhead, or by e-mail. If e-mailed format .doc, .docx or .pdf, must be sent from professor's university e-mail address).
  • University students must submit a current official transcript of grades (by US mail from the Registrar's office).
  • The applicant must submit a copy of their application to a program of studies. The applicant must submit a copy of their application to that program. Receipt of the award is contingent upon acceptance to such a program. Format .pdf

The Alliance Française de Philadelphie wishes to thank the family and friends of former president, the late Pierre C. Fraley, for their generosity in establishing a scholarship program that will, in Mr. Fraley’s name, encourage, enable and promote the study of the French language and culture among deserving young people.


Summer in Quebec

By Mayra Santana, awardee of the 2022 Scholarship

 I arrived at Jean Lesage International Airport on July 4th, 2022, with the hopes of having a fulfilling academic experience. A nice customs officer looked over my papers and passport and asked me why I had decided to visit Quebec City. Upon realizing that I was there to learn French, she switched to the language and gifted me my first organic conversation in the French language. After, I made my way to the Université Laval where I spent the following 5 weeks immersing myself in the French language, Quebecois culture, and learning about all things related to French Canada. Academically, I was prepared to face the classes that I had been assigned to. We learned new grammar structures, such as le conditionnel and le futur proche, and instead of practicing them with a written assignment, we were encouraged to go to the dorm kitchens, out to the mall, or the parks and practice them with locals. The most challenging yet most wonderful aspect of my summer was the fact that there was very little reprieve from learning. It was as though French class was perpetual. I was prepared for my academic growth in the classroom, but I had very few expectations for what I ended up learning every time I went grocery shopping, ordered food, or visited a new place with my friends. Sometime during my third week in Quebec, after a long-winded conversation that involved me struggling to understand that baguettes were indeed chopsticks and exactly what I needed to eat my sushi, I realized that this immersion was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. In the span of those five weeks, I learned how to properly order at a restaurant, ate my first poutine, and learned to talk about music, history, politics, and a variety of quotidian subjects that don’t often come up in French 202. However, it was when I came back to Philadelphia that I realized the true measure of my growth. Not only do I no longer struggle to understand my professor, but I also now participate more, write more, and find myself listening to Stromae, Choses Sauvages, and Dumas on my way to and from class. I sincerely thank the Philadelphia French Alliance and its donors for making this possible, and for encouraging students like myself to pursue the French language.