MiraCosta College continues serving students in a variety of ways throughout North County

For more than 80 years, the MiraCosta Community College District has served students throughout North County with a wide array of educational offerings on multiple campuses.

The college has more than 19,000 credit students annually in over 70 disciplines enrolled in associate degrees, university transfer and workforce readiness certificate programs. There are also about 7,000 students who take part in programs for adult education, community education, basic skills and ESL (English as a Second Language), in addition to a California Community College pilot program offering the nation’s first baccalaureate degree in biomanufacturing.

More than 1,500 of those students were honored at MiraCosta College’s May 27 commencement at the Athletic Track and Field on the Oceanside Campus, the first time in two years that it has been able to hold an in-person graduation ceremony, according to a news release from the school. Many of those students are receiving multiple degrees or certificates.

According to the college, the graduates range in age from 16 to 75 years old. Nearly 200 had perfect grade point averages, over 400 are first-generation college students and nearly 290 have a military affiliation.

“What an honor to celebrate our MiraCosta College graduates with family and friends on campus,” Superintendent and President Sunita V. Cooke said in a statement. “We are so proud of the educational achievements and we applaud their dedication and resilience.”

The commencement speaker was Ruben Garcia, 45, who lives in Oceanside. He became a paraplegic after he was shot at age 17.

The commencement poet was Alesi Kamakanaokalani Meyers-Tuimavave, who graduated with an associate degree in English literature. She read a poem that she wrote called “Unity.”

“My purpose is to get out all the things that make me feel united—like all the different communities and all the different people in my life,” she said in a statement. “I wanted to pinpoint how I feel when I’m around them. It’s to show that we can feel really alone sometimes, but we’re never truly alone.”

MiraCosta College offers students the opportunity to save money while completing their general education courses before transferring to a four-year university.

High school students can also take courses for high school and college credit while exploring new areas of study. Dual enrollment allows them to take college classes at their high schools before, during or after the school day.

Online and hybrid courses are also available.

MiraCosta College is also a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), veteran and military supportive institution, and Achieving the Dream Leader College. The college is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Financial resources are also available for students. All first-time college students taking at least 12 units per semester can receive two years of college for free. For returning college students, the college offers $46 a unit in addition to multiple scholarship and grant opportunities.

MiraCosta College has an Oceanside campus, and a San Elijo campus in Cardiff located on 42 acres facing the lagoon. For more information, visit miracosta.edu.

-- Business Spotlight features commercial enterprises that support this publication.