Seniors Excel at Annual French Language Competition in Cleveland

Laura Gross and Emilia Mahaffey continue Wooster tradition of impressive performances

WOOSTER, Ohio - Seniors Laura Gross and Emilia Mahaffey continued The College of Wooster's long tradition of winning top prizes at the annual contest Concours Annuel, sponsored by the Maison Française de Cleveland, on April 11. Gross, a double major in French and music from Grinnell, Iowa, won the $500 Grand Prize (Prix Wurzburger), while Mahaffey, a double major in French and comparative literature from Washington, D.C., captured the $300 second prize. Both will be honored at an awards banquet on April 20.

"This is the 11th consecutive year that at least one Wooster student has won an award in the competition," said Carolyn Durham, the Inez K. Gaylord Professor of French at Wooster. "We are delighted with Laura's and Emilia's outstanding performances. The Maison Française competition represents the highest standards of language proficiency. The Concours honors not only academic achievement, but also evaluates students' ability to write a timed essay in French and to interact in impromptu conversation with native speakers of French."

The Maison Française de Cleveland is an American non-profit organization in greater Cleveland that promotes Franco-American cultural activities, including French conversation. In order to compete in the Concours Annuel, students must be recommended by a member of the French faculty from the educational institution they attend. Each college or university may nominate up to two contestants for the competition. The annual event brings together students of French from colleges and universities throughout northeast Ohio. Contestants are judged on both oral and written expression by a panel of native French speakers.