Originally published in Student Lawyer magazine, October 2003 (Vol. 32, No. 2). All rights reserved.

SPOTLIGHT

CUNY Law Student from Haiti Sets His Sights on the United Nations

by Kenneth Gorton

When asked why he came to the United States from Haiti at age 15, Marcus Succés doesn't immediately mention economic opportunity, as many immigrants do. Instead, he talks about the First Amendment rights most Americans take for granted.

"I was probably the only person on my block that openly disagreed with the political system," he says. "My mother thought I was far too vocal and feared for my safety."

Today, Succés (pronounced suk-SAY) keeps these rights in mind as a second-year student at City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law. Succés grew up in a suburban neighborhood near Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, under dangerous conditions. He says his childhood taught him the vital importance of human rights and social justice.

"When I was 10, the night before the dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier left the country, he planned to round up all the young men in our neighborhood," Succés says. "He had done this before in other areas, and they never came back. All of my friends and relatives who were young men left to hide in the countryside so they wouldn't be found and killed. The following morning, we woke to find Duvalier gone and had a celebration, but the experience still haunts me. It's why I want to fight for human rights in Haiti and everywhere."

Succés says he decided to go to law school in order to get the best education to help solve the problems and challenges facing the Haitian people.

"I want a degree with a bite," he explains. "I have never had money, so money is not important to me. It would be more fulfilling to go back and bring about change. The truth is, I'd rather be there."

Succés talks openly about his experiences and life growing up in Haiti in hopes of changing the way Haitians are treated by the rest of the world. "I want to help the many Haitians that come to the U.S. who have done nothing wrong except to flee their country looking for a better life," he says.

When asked about his long-term goals, Succés says his dream is to be the secretary general of the United Nations. "It's much easier to marshal resources from the economic powers that want to help countries like Haiti and other countries in need," he explains. "I honestly want a position that brings with it the power to help people who are suffering."

Succés knows firsthand that plenty of work needs to be done. He tells a story about apartment hunting near his law school and how he was turned down because of his race.

"After the landlord met me, she became very unfriendly and said the place had been rented already," he says. "It didn't feel right, so a white friend of mine decided to try and rent it, and she was immediately accepted. Here I am going to law school thinking I can change the world, and I can't even get an apartment four blocks from my school."

Succés attributes his ability to overcome such challenges to the love and support he received from his family while growing up in Haiti and the United States, especially from his grandmother.

"Every summer in Haiti, we went to the countryside to visit her," he says. "That's where I really saw how parents work hard to send their children to the city for a better life. Unfortunately, I didn't get to say goodbye to my grandmother when I left, because my mother feared that the countryside was too dangerous. But a lot of the person I am is attributed to her."

After graduation, Succés hopes to work for the United Nations or a political organization in Washington, D.C. He is currently an intern with a judge at the Queens County Civil Court.
"My first year of law school was extremely challenging," he says. "So it was great preparation for the challenges that lay ahead."

Kenneth Gorton, a 2L at Pepperdine University School of Law, is Student Lawyer's student editor.

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