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Marie Deschamps ’04
Marie Deschamps ’04, wearing a bright pink fedora and a denim jacket embroidered with vibrant flowers, smiles outdoors on a sandy beach.
Marie Deschamps ’04, wearing a bright pink fedora and a denim jacket embroidered with vibrant flowers, smiles outdoors on a sandy beach.
School is not just about what you are studying, but about exploring who you are going to be.
Marie Deschamps ’04

Political Science and Pre-Med Majors
Art Therapist & Innovator at CuriousArtTherapy.com
Art • Humanities & STEM • Curiosity • International student

The theme of my Macalester story is that there is a pattern, even when you can’t see it. I arrived as a French-born, German-educated international student determined to be pre-med and join Doctors Without Borders. But what I loved most about Mac was that you didn’t have to be just one thing: you could be an activist and a scientist, a dancer and a political thinker, and still feel completely accepted.

I majored in political science and pre-med but spent countless hours in gender studies, art studios, and theater rehearsals. I was surrounded by curious, passionate people who showed me that learning could be both rigorous and joyful.

After graduation and volunteering with an NGO in Senegal, I entered medical school, only to find it wasn’t what I imagined. I left, completed an MA in Public Policy at the London School of Economics, and worked in corporate responsibility, but felt disconnected. I missed the aliveness I’d felt at Macalester, the sense that learning, creating, and caring could all flow from the same place.

That search, though painful and marked by a period of depression, led me back to what had always been there: art as a way of understanding and healing. Becoming an art therapist allowed me to bridge science, emotion, and imagination. What was key to finding my life purpose was the unwavering support of my Macalester friends from around the world, who kept cheering me on when I no longer believed in myself.

Today, I lead expressive therapy groups in an addiction recovery clinic and support people navigating grief through online workshops. With fellow alum Andrew Porter ’04, I co-created Icanfeel, an art-based, symptom-management software exploring how creativity and technology can bring humanity back into healthcare. A two-year clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center is nearing completion, with promising early results shared in my doctoral dissertation.

Changing paths reminded me that Macalester was never about following a straight line, it was about learning to integrate every part of who we are. Looking back, I see that Mac encouraged my many passions and helped me realize that my purpose lies in uniting creativity, healing, and critical thinking.The question I hope students will ask themselves is not just what they want to do, but who they want to become, and how their authentic expression and unique weirdness can add something true and necessary to the world.

Last updated: November 2025