Marie Hascoet

Student

“My family doesn’t travel. So when I go home to Paris, I show them all my photos—for free! I’m saving them money.”

Marie Hascoet is a “culture swimmer.” Whatever new land her travels take her to, she immerses herself in its traditions and people. “I’ve been traveling all my life—to Africa, Australia, through Europe—it’s almost like a drug with me,” explains Marie. “But you meet great people along the way, and all that experience will help when I get to UCLA.” Marie, you see, picks up languages like most of us pick up fast food. “I’m going to be going into linguistics because I plan to be a translator,” explains Marie. “I was teaching and translating French, English, and Spanish when I studied at the university in Guadalajara. But all those credits won’t transfer here, so I’m back studying Spanish again. But it’s a joy for me to study here, because the teachers are good and they’re very fair. It’s also surprising to see how many of them also teach at UCLA.”

Marie says that she’s “extremely well organized. Too much so, for some people, I’m afraid.” But she’s also included some “footloose” hours of fun into her disciplined regimen. “I learned to dance when I was 12, and I can’t stop myself!” she says with a laugh. “I’m taking tap dancing to help me balance out all the work, and I’d love to study flamenco, too.” But even with all the exotic interests and travels that keep her on her toes, Marie still finds creative ways to keep in contact with the “home bodies” in her native Paris.

“SMC would be a great place to study if only for the computers in the library,” says Marie. “The Internet is there—for free—to everyone who needs to do research. And it’s also very helpful,” she adds with a chuckle, “to stay in touch with everyone back in France.”

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