“Vouloir c’est pouvoir” is a phrase many students should strive to live by. In French, it means “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” It serves as a reminder that success is only found in having the bravery to face it head-on. Manon Robar, who knows more than enough French to tell you what “Vouloir c’est pouvoir” means, has certainly lived by that motto. Now, after high school, she will leave the country on her own and study abroad in Reims, France at the Sciences Po Paris University.
Yet, while being able to go international for college, Robar will miss Claremont significantly. For one thing, the cold, cloudy, rainy, and snowy climate of Reims – and France in general – is a far cry from the sunny and cloudless skies in Southern California. She will also miss Claremont High School’s passionate teachers who always supported her.
“On this note, I want to shout out all of my senior year teachers like Ms. Tran, Mr. Glavin, Ms. Moule, Mr. Thomas, and Mrs. Kusano for their sustained support of every student in their classes,” Robar said. “They especially deserve credit for their extremely hard work preparing us for exams, giving interesting lessons, and always showing me how lucky I am to have an education and be able to pursue academics in a world where this is not a guarantee for young women.”
Manon was easily one of Claremont High School’s most involved students. She was part of the WASC Committee, Interact, Model United Nations team, and perhaps most notably, Hispanic Honor Society as President. She intends to take these interests farther into her future, wanting to study Spanish in France and find a Model United Nations team overseas to continue competing.
Manson will spend her college years at the Sciences Po Paris University. This is a staggering achievement as Sciences Po has the second best Political Science program in the entire world, only being closely beaten out by Harvard University here in the United States.
“I wanted to study in France as I am a legal citizen there,” Robar said. “I also like the idea of college only being three years long in Europe! On top of that, I am most excited about the one mandatory year of study abroad the school requires, which I am hoping to use to study in Singapore, Spain, or somewhere in South America.”
Following all of her studies abroad, Manon will continue her international work as a lawyer or policy maker for the United Nations. She even sees herself going into business and becoming an entrepreneur to supplement her legal career. As they say over in France, “Adieu, Mademoiselle Robar! Vouloir c’est pouvoir!”