Gilbert Saint-Leon

Professor

“SMC has become a truly international city. In its own way, it’s a lot like Paris.”

“Does the term esprit d’corps mean anything to you?” asks Gilbert Saint-Leon. “It’s something I learned about in the Marine Corps. And I feel the same way towards SMC. In the Marines, I served with the finest soldiers, and at SMC I’ve served with the finest teachers. I feel honored to be here.”

With his wife Shirley, Gilbert has taken SMC students to Paris to discover his favorite city each of the past four years. “In the Study Abroad program I teach a class called “Americans in Paris,” says Gilbert. “We discover Paris together and I teach my students what it must have been like when Hemingway and the ‘lost generation’ was there. The only sad time comes when we have to break up the class and head for home. After Paris,” he adds, “Pico Boulevard is never the same.”

Gilbert says that “teaching at SMC provides me with a sense of freedom that’s just not available anywhere else. I’ve watched the college grow and expand and it’s exciting to see how we’re reaching out.” His own professional enrichment at SMC, he feels, is mirrored in what the school offers its students. “Whatever course of study you choose, whether in business, vocational arts or in sciences, you’re going to find the absolute best instructors here. At SMC, you always get your money’s worth.”

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