Michael Smalls
Michael Smalls was Clarissa Smalls’s older brother and an economics student preparing for his senior year at Stanford University in fall 1998. He was quiet, studious, and protective of Clarissa. His political science minor supported his plan to work in state government and improve economic policy.
Education and Career Plans
Michael earned good grades and attended high school with Susie Matsuda. They shared some classes but remained peripheral acquaintances because both were generally quiet.
Michael began at Stanford University in fall 1995 as an economics major with a political science minor. He was the first in his family to attend Stanford. He returned to campus for his senior year on August 29, 1998. His education was the family’s largest expense, at roughly $25,000–$30,000 a year. His mother took extra nursing shifts, his father kept close track of the budget, and family vacations became less frequent. Michael maintained strong grades while knowing what the expense required of them.
Michael hoped to work in state government, ideally in Sacramento, and contribute to economic policies that served a wider range of people.
Personality
Michael was studious and usually quiet without fitting the stereotypical image of an isolated academic. At home, he was casual and teasing with Clarissa, sometimes claiming, “I’m always right,” when she resisted his advice. He generally stayed out of her personal affairs but intervened when he believed someone was mistreating her. He had warned her about Sarah before Clarissa recognized the problem herself and had initially been suspicious of Jeremy, too.
During summer 1998, Michael supported Clarissa after Jeremy Wallace’s medical crisis. He later overheard Sarah at the mall claiming that Jeremy was using Clarissa as unpaid pity care and defended his sister. Michelle had told him about Sarah’s earlier mistreatment of Cody Matsuda and Andy Davis; he challenged that behavior during his confrontation with Sarah, rather than having witnessed the earlier incident himself. As the pregnancy rumor’s consequences became clear, Michael also recognized the harm Clarissa’s disclosure had caused.
Family and Core Relationships
Michael was the older child of Linda Smalls, a pediatric nurse at Huntington Memorial Hospital, and Robert “Bob” Smalls, an accountant at a mid-sized firm. Linda’s long shifts sometimes included nights. Michael spent the summer of 1998 at the family’s Pasadena home before returning to Stanford.
Clarissa Smalls
Michael and Clarissa had a close sibling relationship; he called her “Rissa.” He reassured her after Jeremy’s crisis, gave her room to talk when she was ready, and remained available after leaving for Stanford. His protectiveness had been sharpened by seeing how boys treated her appearance. On August 29, Clarissa cried in the driveway as he left for his senior year. He hugged her, told her she could call anytime, and promised to come home if Sarah or anyone else mistreated her. He ended by telling her he loved her and that she was smart and tough enough for the year ahead.
Other Relationships
Susie Matsuda
Michael knew Susie Matsuda from high school and Stanford, although they were not close at the time. Their first meaningful conversation occurred during the Wallace family’s Thanksgiving gathering in 1998. Michael noticed that Susie was overwhelmed by the crowd and offered her a quieter place on the deck.
Susie worried about medical-school competitiveness despite her strong grades and MCAT scores. Michael called her “smart as hell” and encouraged her without making another demand on her performance. When he asked about her difficult senior year of high school, she opened up about Cody’s suicide attempt and the pressure her family had faced. Michael’s familiarity with academic expectations and family responsibility gave them common ground, while his attention allowed Susie to be vulnerable without taking on a caregiving role.
The conversation became the first clear point of connection between them. They eventually became partners.
Memorable Quotes
“You tell me. I’ll come home.”
Michael said this to Clarissa before leaving for Stanford in August 1998.
“You’re smart and tough and you don’t take shit from anyone.”
He said this in the same goodbye conversation, reassuring her before her senior year.