Mauritian Immigrant Works Toward a Better Life in the U.S.
Franchette Mamodesen to Graduate on Mother’s Day
while Husband Serves the U.S. in the Middle East

May 5, 2003 - No matter how difficult it was to leave her family in Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean, Franchette Mamodesen knew she had to go. After all, she wanted to pursue her education in France. Now nearly 20 years later, she’ll achieve her dreams when she graduates with a degree in secondary French education from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University on May 11.

Her journey here took many twists and turns. She left Mauritius in 1984 after finishing high school and realizing the dearth of opportunities in her country. So she moved in with an aunt who lived near the Eiffel Tower in Paris and began to work and take classes. But she couldn’t obtain the university degree she wanted due to lack of funds and other factors.

While Franchette was living in France, a friend told her that Americans renting a summer house there needed some temporary help. After working for them for three years, they asked her if she wanted to go back to New York with them. She ended up living in an Upper East Side apartment in Manhattan, helping in their art gallery and cooking for them. Her employer’s mother lived in Massachusetts and while attending a New Year’s Eve party there in 1995, in the home of a Mauritian family who had become like a second family to her, she met an Army man from Maryland. After traveling back and forth between New York and Maryland for a year, the two married.

They lived in her employer’s apartment for three years until Franchette saw a newspaper ad for a job managing a home in Locust Valley, Long Island. It appealed to her because it offered them their own place on the estate. Her husband, who worked for the government, and continued his military career in the U.S. Army National Guard Reserve, also liked the possibilities.

After being hired, Franchette returned to college at the C.W. Post Campus in Brookville. "I wanted a better life," she said. "Without education it’s hard to move forward." Their daughter, Nadine, was born three years ago, and their life seemed right on track.

Then, this past January, Franchette’s husband, Luc-Noel Steeve Mamodesen, went for his regular Reserve weekend and came back with stunning news: he had been called up to active duty as part of the United States’ preparation for the conflict in Iraq. "I was very upset," she said. Luckily, her parents, who planned on seeing her graduate in May, had come for a visit. "I don’t know what I would have done if they weren’t here."

In late March, Luc-Noel left for the Mideast. "It’s very hard," said Franchette, "because the separation affects me in everything I do. I have to force myself to do the things I need to finish each day." She fills her time attending to her family, completing her student teaching at North Shore High School and looking for a full-time position. "I know I can make a difference in children’s lives," Franchette recently said, "especially with my background."

Franchette Mamodesen will be one of more than 1,600 students who will don their caps and gowns on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11, 2003 for 45th annual commencement exercises of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. The campus has awarded more than 85,000 degrees in its 49-year history, through a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs. For additional information, call the Office of Public Relations at (516) 299-2333.