A native English speaker with a passion for the French language, Sandhya Mylabathula created her own program to promote French language learning. A teacher by profession, she had previously participated five times in the Explore program as a student, eventually becoming bilingual. Her self-taught and inspiring journey moved the jury and the audience.

“ My path in French wasn’t linear. I had to sacrifice other things. But I was so passionate that I persevered. I’m here today; if I could do it, my students can do the same .”