Nathalie Rayes

Student

“I will definitely not transfer to USC. We have three Trojans in the family. That’s enough!”

Her parents are both Lebanese who became Venezuelan industrialists and then sent their children to study in America. “My brother and sister were studying at USC,” says Nathalie Rayes. “And my parents didn’t want to see the family so split up, so we have all moved here now to be together.” There were definite adjustments to be made, however. “Learning English was a terrible experience for me,” recalls Nathalie. “But with daily tutoring, I made it. Now I speak, I have good friends, I feel at home.”

But “home” to Nathalie will always, in some ways, be Venezuela. “I’ll be studying political science and I’d like to go into international law,” she explains. “I’d like to start a company with operations here and in Venezuela. We have so many problems there. So I’d like to start a firm that translates constitutional ideas from the U.S. to the Venezuelans that can help them resolve the country’s problems with corruption.”

On her way to a law degree, Nathalie has had some great experiences in SMC classrooms. “Mr. Mapes is my Criminal Justice teacher and I love the way he teaches,” says Nathalie. “He brings whatever is happening, right today, into the class. He makes everything feel so immediate. And that makes his classroom full of life.”

Nathalie says that entering American society through the door of SMC has been very non-threatening. “It’s not a shock to arrive at SMC. You don’t get knocked down,” she explains. “The teachers are here to help you adjust, even if they have to stay after class to work with you. And you somehow always feel that the whole place is inviting to come to.”

Back