Spring — 2004

Mark Naaman

Student

“I had Cliff Clarridge for math—the first class I took when I got here from Lebanon. My English was terrible! But he gave me the confidence to reach higher.”

You can just forget about the problems in the English language Mark Naaman might once have had, as has he. He’s now as fluent as any Westside ‘dude,’ not only in English, but also in French and Arabic. “And I’m also starting to learn Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, and Russian a little bit. They all help me to learn about other cultures.”

When Mark’s family—a Christian one in a Muslim country—was kicked out of Lebanon, he had great uncertainty about where he’d land. Fortunately, his ‘landing zone’ was SMC. And his energetic involvement at the College means he’s never looked back. “I’m the ICC Vice-Chair, so I basically serve all the student clubs in every way. I argue for all their voices at the finance meetings to make sure they’re heard. And the clubs are huge at SMC,” he says with emphasis. “We have over 60 clubs, with a membership that’s basically half of all students. And if you don’t belong to one, you’re really missing out.” Mark ticks off the myriad benefits of Associate Students and ICC membership. “You can use computers for free, print out 15 pages for free, and get discounts to movies and theme parks like Universal and Magic Mountain.” But the academic and social sides of club membership are what Mark truly stresses.

“In clubs, you learn about other cultures and get to know each other well. And you learn how to be a leader, which helps you later on when you’re representing your business or interests. I feel so much more comfortable because of all my club activity,” he says. “It’s all made me better, you know? Kind of… ‘bigger!’ ”

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