MiraCosta College to Hold Commencement Ceremonies

​May 22, 2019: Bachelor’s Degree Celebration Ceremony
 
MiraCosta College will celebrate the accomplishments of students graduating from the biomanufacturing bachelor’s degree program on Wednesday, May 22, at 5 p.m. in the Theatre, Building 2000, located at 1 Barnard Drive in Oceanside. MiraCosta College is one of only 15 California community colleges authorized to offer a bachelor’s degree program.

Class speaker Andrew Relopez, a Marine veteran, was driving along South Coast Highway in Encinitas a few years back when a billboard touting MiraCosta College’s new bachelor’s degree program in biomanufacturing caught his attention. “I went on the internet to find out what biomanufacturing was all about,” Relopez recalled. “I said, yeah, I can get into that.”  Relopez met with a counselor, set up an education plan, and began taking the prerequisites needed to join the initial cohort.
 
May 24, 2018: MiraCosta College District Graduation
 
Approximately 600 of MiraCosta College’s estimated 2,000 graduates will celebrate at the college’s 84th commencement ceremony, to be held Friday, May 24, at 5 p.m. in front of the Administration Building on the Oceanside Campus, located at 1 Barnard Drive. Admission is free, and parking permits are not required. This year's ceremony will include MiraCosta's first class of graduates receiving baccalaureate degrees in science.
 
Graduate Helen Rigby will deliver this year’s commencement address. Rigby has conquered more than her share of challenges. She was bullied as a child because of her weight. She’s dealt with bipolar disorder since she was a teen. She was the primary caretaker of her father after he suffered a stroke. She is forced to endure the ravages of endometriosis and has been treated with chemotherapy. But Rigby persevered to graduate from MiraCosta College with associate degrees in psychology, kinesiology, and human development—and a high school diploma to boot. Rigby earned her 200–hour and 500–hour yoga certifications at MiraCosta College and she has her own business—the Chronic Wellness Goddess—that focuses on therapeutic yoga instruction with the elderly, Parkinson’s patients, stroke recovery victims, and others living with physical disabilities. Plans include growing her business, while continuing to work as a mental health advocate dedicated to serving those with mood and anxiety disorders.
 
For more information about the commencement, please visit miracosta.edu/commencement.
 
About MiraCosta College
 
The MiraCosta Community College District has served the coastal North San Diego County area for over 80 years. More than 21,000 credit students per semester in over 70 disciplines enroll in associate degrees, university transfer and workforce readiness certificate programs. The college also serves a wide spectrum of educational needs in the region ranging from programs for adult education, basic skills, and ESL to a California Community College pilot program offering the nation’s first baccalaureate degree in biomanufacturing. MiraCosta College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).