Yusuf Sumartha

Student

“SMC is filled with variety. I have friends here from at least 20 countries.”

In his three semesters at SMC, Yusuf Sumartha has managed a 4.0 GPA. “And that’s why there’s no such thing as a ‘weekend’ for me,” he says, laughing. Yusuf is from Indonesia and says, “I feel the prospects are very good for my country. We have traditionally been an agricultural society but—in another 20 years—we will be a fully industrialized nation. So eventually,” he continues, “I plan to go back to my home to help in the development. As an engineer, I think my opportunities there will be endless.”

Yusuf left Indonesia in search of an excellent engineering school. “I’d wanted to get into UCLA, but I missed the deadline,” he says. But he feels his arrival at SMC was actually for the best. “I love my classes here. There’s never a majority or a minority in any of them,” he says. “There are just all kinds of people being taught by teachers who really enjoy their work.”

Yusuf is from a small town, near Singapore, called Medan. “My mom and dad each have a business in import and export. And when I am home, I live with them.” Family closeness is very important to Yusuf, but he’s enjoying the freedom of being on his own at SMC. He hopes to transfer soon and continue his pursuit of becoming a civil engineer. “I’d like to work for a development company or as a consultant,” says Yusuf. “But that’s a long way off. What I have to deal with right now is the budget crunch in schools. I’m afraid,” he says, “that there may not be a lot of classes available to international students.”

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