Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education, the French Governor's Academy offers an opportunity for French students in Virginia to immerse themselves in the French language and culture for three weeks. Highly qualified teachers and counselors engage students in both academic and extracurricular activities geared toward increasing student proficiency and knowledge of the French language and francophone cultures. Classes, excursions, activities, sports and meals are conducted completely in French permitting students to think, live, and breathe in French. Students of the French Governor's Academy often state that this opportunity changes their lives and offers previously unexplored opportunities for the future. The level of French language proficiency that students achieve upon completion of the Academy goes beyond even the highest proficiency attainable traditional high school setting. During the three week experience, Academy participants have the oppportunity to interact with native French speakers from France and francophone countries who share their culture, their language, and their lives with their American counterparts.