What made you want to be involved in your school?
I wanted to be involved in school because the only way I feel good somewhere or in a specific domain is if I’m part of it. I only felt good about being at school the moment I joined a club, the moment I participated in a contest. Like “sentiment d’appartenance” is extremely important to my well-being.
Have you always imagined you’d end high school like this, as the president and the Voices in Poetry bilingual winner?
Haha! I can’t lie but I dreamt of it a lot. I strongly believe that a realization of something starts with a dream, just like Martin Luther King claimed.
But of course there’s always a doubt just like for every normal human being! Through my determination, I constantly doubted myself. I would ask my friends, my teachers and my family: “Do I have what it takes? Will people like what I do?”
So before my principal or the Poetry in Voice Host announced “Marie Foolchand”, there was always a huge stress invading my thoughts.
Did you succeed in all aspects at school or felt like there was an area where you were inferior?
No, not at all. It’s actually because I felt inferior in academics, that I felt the NEED to excel somewhere else. When I didn’t make it to “Gala des mérites”, an academic banquet, in 7th grade, my mom was disappointed. But let’s face it, I knew I wouldn’t get a prize in math, especially among very competent peers.
And because I never understood math or sciences, I decided to excel in something else. I always had a passion for writing in French. I thank my dad for it because it comes from him. But yeah, French really saved my ass on the academic level.
How did you discover your passion for performing arts?
I discovered my passion for performing arts with a teacher called Mme.Bégin. There was this oratory contest and I auditioned for it (it was my first competition). She really believed in me and she told me to continue with M.Bernier in the following years. More doors opened without me necessarily knocking. I was realizing another cheesy dream of doing morning announcements. I was hosting talent shows. And in grade 11, I realized: “Wow that’s what I like to do. That’s the path I want to follow.”
What are your plans for next year?
Next year, I’m planning to fit in the French University Glendon, the same way I did for E-B. I’ll start little by little and hope to reach a new goal! I chose Glendon for that reason. A small university is often equal to a close entourage, people who can encourage you and, you know, actually be there for you. That’s what I need.
What do you hope to achieve and where to you hope to be in the future?
In the future… Well, I joke about wanting to become an actress, but I mean you never know. But really, I would love to work at Radio-Canada or become a host on TV5 or another popular French channel.
What is your advice for the younger kids who haven’t found their calling yet, don’t excel academically at school or are just generally lost?
My advice only comes from my personal experience. I can tell them that even though they’re not good in one thing, one subject, it doesn’t mean they won’t be great in another. There’s always something and I think it’s just a matter of time and determination, to find that path to success.
After having won Poetry in Voice, I realize that if I stopped after the first try, I would’ve stayed that “one of the top 10” candidates. But I wanted to be more than that. So I worked for it, harder and harder. And I made it and it doesn’t stop there. It’s just to say that you should never stop fighting until you win, no matter how much effort it takes. Because there’s not a better satisfaction than to win something you poured out your heart for.