Amir Nemati

Student

“When I go to UCLA or NYU, it’ll be a big accomplishment for my family because I’ll be the first to graduate from an American university.”

Everybody wants to travel, see the world, and have a life filled with adventure. Amir Nemati has certainly done all that, though it’s doubtful he recalls much of it fondly. “I was born in Iran, but we had to escape when the mullahs came to power,” he recalls. “The government was coming for us, so we fled to a friend’s house in Pakistan. Then it was on to Spain, Germany, London, France, and—finally—to the United States and New York City.”

Now, feeling perhaps more rooted than he ever has in his young life, Amir reports real satisfaction with his progress. “SMC is really hard, but I’m patient, and I just take my time. I’m really in sociology so I can just get my degree and get out there in the world of banking, which my uncle is in,” says Amir. “But my experiences here have all been good ones because this is really one of the top junior colleges in the country. And all of my teachers have been excellent.” But Amir reports that he has not left the selection of his SMC teachers to chance.

“I found out about all the best teachers online at a website,” he says. “You go out to the site, and you’ll find students’ grades for all the teachers at SMC, UCLA, and other UCs,” he says. “That’s been very helpful to me because I can get into the best classes and make good use of my time.” Amir reports that he was hoping to soon move back—once again—to NYC and study at NYU. “I like the fast track, the pressure,” he says. “And New York is the place that I know will push me to be successful.”

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