[3] In 1872, she and her sister, Ada, came to Costa Rica to work as governesses in the employ of the doctor José María Montealegre, after having left a similar post for Rafael Zaldívar, a Salvadoran politician who would later become president of El Salvador.

[1] The sisters founded a private school and gave English lessons to families in San José until 1886, when Marian returned to Europe.

When Fernandez was appointed Minister of Education, he hired Marian in 1888 to work for the state[1] and direct the new Colegio Superior de Señoritas.

[4] She returned and began work organizing the institution, including hiring teachers, designing classes, and even teaching both English and science courses.

She designed an organization which was open to all social classes, races and religions and later added a kindergarten annex to the secondary school.