Spring — 2005

Marie Direz

Engineering / Science

“What I love about SMC is that it’s so international. You find people here from countries and cultures all over the world.”

A very buttoned down and analytical mind is the one of Marie Direz. When asked how long she’d been at SMC, the answer was typically direct and precise. “Two years and one month exactly,” she responds. “I came here from France, where I was studying physics and science in high school. And now I’m studying chemistry here, because my major is Engineering. And I’m thinking I would very much like to work in the technical side of aerospace, even though it’s very crowded and competitive.”

Marie says that her native country has some very sophisticated programs running in aerospace. “I think it would be better for me to work in France than in the US,” she says. “But I never really compare the two countries in my mind,” she says of her current enjoyment of’ ‘the best of both worlds.’ “When I’m in France, I’m happy to be there. And when I’m here, I’m happy to be here. I just think that’s all that matters.”

Working as an au pair for a French couple living here, Marie fits her classes in around a hectic schedule of caring for kids. “I was invited over by the mother, and I just thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll go over for a year and study as much as I can and learn English.’ But now I’m thinking I might transfer to UCLA, which is not very difficult to do from SMC.” And Marie reports that SMC has a nearly ideal offering of classes for people like her, who have to work during the day. “I’ve taken math—and now I’m taking engineering—in night school, and I actually like those classes best,” she says. “They’re not as crowded. And they’re much more concentrated.” When asked what her ‘concentration’ will be in 10 years, Marie muses, “Hmmm… maybe a nice husband and some children. And maybe in California… or France.”

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