Clement turned 20 in January 2024. He is French and grew up in the family-home in Saint-Philibert de Grand-Lieu, a small town close to Nantes in the western part of France. His parents, both French and very well-travelled, decided to move the whole family to Miami in 2019 on an E2 visa to pursue the American Dream. His brother is now 17 and his sister 13.
Clement arrived in Miami when he was 15 and enrolled at the International Studies Charter School (ISCHS) in Miami’s Little Havana – a school offering dual diplomas in French, Spanish and Italian and very popular with expats. He was a good student and graduated in 2022. His family knew little about the US higher education system and he received little guidance. He could have chosen to return to France but wanted to make the most of the opportunities his parents had offered him by moving to the US.
He was admitted to the Miami-Dade College Honors Program as a Political Science Major and is very grateful for the support received and opportunities afforded to him at MDC. He has applied and hopes to transfer at the end of this academic year to one of the Ivy League schools and wants to double-major in Political and International Relations.
Clement travelled extensively to developing countries such as Senegal or Haiti. He visited the latter after the country was devastated by an earthquake and hurricane and became acutely aware of how lucky and privileged he is. Those experiences informed his desire to go on to Law School, pass the Bar in Washington DC or Florida and become an Immigration Lawyer.
For now, Clement is enjoying everything that Miami has to offer. He loves biking, surfing and playing soccer as well as cars and mechanics. His family all have a Green Card which makes it easier to travel to France every summer and sometimes for Christmas to visit with his extended family and friends.
Clement’s favorite quote is: “In order to become leaders of tomorrow, you need to be leaders today”, Nguénar Yancine Cissé, Master Student at the University of Waterloo.