Acacia Coker ('20) receives national honor for French studies

Awarded by the American Association of Teachers of French
The American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) has named Acacia Coker, a 2020 graduate of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, as the recipient of the AATF Outstanding Senior in French Award.

“I’m very grateful to be given this honor,” said Coker, who has studied advanced-level French for two years at LSMSA and served as the French Club President her senior year. “I have to give thanks to all my teachers who have helped me along the way.”

Coker, of Zachary, Louisiana, has studied French for five years and initially became interested in the language due to her Louisiana roots.

“I felt that to discover more about the culture of the state I lived in, I should learn French,” she said.

Under the tutelage of Madame Nathalie Malti, associate lecturer of French at LSMSA, Coker has participated in several local and state competitions, of which she has received many honors.

The study of the French language, however, is not her only passion. Coker is also a scholar in the sciences and humanities, having graduated with distinction in Biology and serving as editor-in-chief of The Renaissance, LSMSA’s school newspaper.

Coker will attend Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota to major in Biology and French.

AATF was founded in 1927 and is now the largest professional association of French teachers in the world with nearly 10,000 members. The Outstanding Senior in French Award is given to a student who is nominated by their teacher on the basis of academic excellence and exceptional commitment to the study of French. Recipients must have completed at least three years of French study at the time of graduation and be non-native speakers of French.

LSMSA offers advanced instruction in French, Spanish, Latin, German, Chinese, Greek and Arabic. To view the full range of the school's offerings visit www.LSMSA.edu/Languages.
Back