CV

Danyal Sookool is a French-speaking South African writer and communicator working where media, language and international cooperation meet. A Stellenbosch University graduate in French, English and political science, he is completing a BA Honours in French and holds CEFR C2.1 proficiency.

Three stays in France – a high-school exchange year, an award-winning French public-speaking competition and an Erasmus+ exchange at Master's level – shaped an international outlook and a particular interest in France-South Africa relations and Francophone Africa. He researches, writes and edits in both languages, follows media and current affairs closely, and builds the digital side himself: content in Canva and CapCut, websites in WordPress, Wix and Squarespace.

Alongside his studies he founded MindBloom Tutors, tutors and marks French at Stellenbosch, and co-produced the Kurated Kulture cultural event.

English · French (C2.1) · Afrikaans · German · isiXhosa

French Studies & International Relations | Intercultural Affairs

Cape Town, South Africa · +27 72 048 6443 · danyal.sookool@gmail.com

A meticulous, professional and proactive French-speaking graduate with a political science and international studies background from Stellenbosch University, currently completing a BA Honours in French. Deep, first-hand knowledge of France and French culture through three separate stays — a high-school exchange year, an award-winning French public-speaking competition, and a Master's-level Erasmus+ exchange — giving a personal, lived understanding of French society, politics and history rather than a purely academic one. Advanced French speaker (CEFR C2.1) with strong intercultural communication skills, a good grasp of media issues, and sound research and analytical ability. I believe in cooperation, multilateralism and intercultural exchange, and seek to apply my French, research and communication skills to strengthening relations between France and South Africa.

French language & culture
Intercultural communication
Political & current affairs analysis
Research & academic writing
Digital content & social media (Canva, CapCut, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok)
Cross-cultural adaptability
Public speaking
Stakeholder & client relations
Self-taught website design & management (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace)
Microsoft Office & Google Workspace

2026 — Erasmus+ Exchange, Bursary Laureate — Besançon, France: Master's-level exchange at Université Marie & Louis Pasteur.

2024 — Concours de la Francophonie, Winner — Annecy, France: French-language public-speaking competition organised by the Alliance Française, judged on command of French language and culture.

2017–2018 — AFS High School Exchange: two-month full-immersion exchange, living with a host family and attending a local French school.

Founder & French Language Tutor | MindBloom Tutors | 2024–Present

Founded and run an independent French language tutoring service, from client acquisition through lesson delivery. Design tailored lesson plans and learning materials for a caseload of up to seven students at any one time, ranging in age from 10 to 58 and including students with ADHD. Helped a 58-year-old adult student build significant conversational confidence and fluency in French, and supported a 10-year-old student to being awarded top student in French in her year at her school. Built and maintain the business website, including basic on-page SEO. Handle scheduling, invoicing and client communication.

Co-Organiser & Event Producer | Kurated Kulture | November 2025

Co-produced a successful ticketed event at Penthouse Stellenbosch with one collaborator, managing venue liaison, a seven-act local and international DJ line-up, Howler ticketing, digital promotion, branded merchandise and on-site delivery.

Marking Assistant & Tutor | Stellenbosch University | 2023–2024

Mark undergraduate French-language assessments and assignments for Prof. Éric Léveel at Stellenbosch University. Provide tutoring support to undergraduate students, reinforcing grammar, comprehension and written expression.

Volunteer Beach Lifeguard (Squad Leader) | Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town | 2017–Present

Serve as Squad Leader, leading a team of volunteer lifeguards, coordinating shift duties and mentoring junior members. Monitor public safety and respond to emergencies as part of a seasonal volunteer team. Work within a team under time pressure, exercising judgement and clear communication.

Swimming Instructor | Stars Swimming School | 2016–Present

Teach swimming to learners of varying ages and abilities, including children of all abilities and autistic children, adapting communication style to each student. Build trust with learners and parents through clear, patient communication.

BA Honours in French (In Progress) | Stellenbosch University | 2026

Main lecture series: Francophone African literature and film, supervised by Dr Gibson Ncube. Independent mini-mémoire (10,000–11,000 words).

Bachelor of Arts (Humanities) — majoring in French & English | Stellenbosch University | 2023–2025

French: Pass with Distinction (2023 & 2024).

National Senior Certificate | Westerford High School | 2015–2019

Matric electives: Physics, Life Sciences and Biology. Achieved 3 distinctions, including 92% for French.

Erasmus+ Exchange — Master 1 FLE (Enseignement, diffusion du français, politiques éducatives) | Semester 2, 2026. Master 1-level exchange taught entirely in French, covering language pedagogy and European language policy; attained CEFR C2.1.

Certificate of French Proficiency, CEFR C2.1 — Université Marie & Louis Pasteur, France (2026).

AFS Youth Assembly Scholarship — New York, USA (2023): represented South Africa in discussions on international cooperation, diplomacy and global policy.

DELF B2 — Alliance Française, Cape Town (2019).

BP Global STEM Academy Scholarship — Brazil (2018): cross-cultural STEM programme with students from multiple countries.

AFS High School Exchange — France (Dec 2017–Jan 2018): two-month full-immersion exchange, living with a host family and attending a local French school.

English — Native / Fluent
French — CEFR C2.1 (Advanced Professional Proficiency)
Afrikaans — Working proficiency
German — Conversational
isiXhosa — Conversational

French politics, history & current affairs · International relations · France-South Africa relations · Running, hiking & open-water swimming