Leo Baghdassarian

When Leo Baghdassarian graduated from Torrey Pines High School in 1995, he decided to go straight into the family business.  For a number of years, he juggled working full time and taking some classes at MiraCosta College until one day he decided to quit college entirely.  Years later, when he gave MiraCosta a second chance, he excelled, got straight As, and was accepted as a transfer student to Cornell University.

“When I finished high school my family's business was booming,” says Leo.  

“I was proficient with computers, so my skills were easily applied.”  After five years working with the family and taking courses at MiraCosta College, Leo decided to break off and form his own Internet-based company with two of his closest friends.

"At this point, I felt that experience came in and traditional schooling was out,” reminisces Leo.  He then quit MiraCosta and put all of his energy into his new business.  While he was successful in the early goings, Leo and his team had to deal with the dismal outlook toward tech that followed the burst of the Internet-economy bubble.

"At this point, I felt something was missing.  I wanted to get more formally trained,” explains Leo.  “So I re-enrolled at MiraCosta and started taking business classes.”

Leo thought he would take a couple of classes and then try his hand again in the private sector.  However, his financial accounting instructor, Gabriela Bryant, helped him decide to continue his studies.

“If it wasn’t for her telling me to get my degree, I would have never thought to continue with higher education,” says Leo.  “After numerous talks with her, I decided to work toward an A.A. in business with the goal of transferring to a four year university.”

According to Leo, another MiraCosta instructor who was essential in shaping his outlook on higher education was Dana Smith, Leo's professor of communication.  "We spent a lot of time discussing the benefits of continuing my education," Leo says, "She even met with me outside of class and helped guide me with the college selection process and future graduate-level options.  Dana is top-notch, the best teacher I have ever had. I will be lucky to have an instructor like her when I transfer."

Leo has met his goal and has been accepted to UCSD, Northeastern, Penn State, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Cornell University.  Leo has decided to attend Cornell in order to participate in their innovative Information Science Program, which Leo says really parallels his passion for computers and research and offers cutting edge opportunity in business.

While Leo’s success has come from hard work and dedication, he does believe that his experience at MiraCosta College has helped him to achieve his goals and to get his educational journey back on track. 

“Unlike most kids, I was never pressured to go to college,” explains Leo.  “In fact, before MiraCosta, I didn’t even know the differences between a master’s degree and a Ph.D.  Now, after Cornell, I plan to pursue an MBA.  I truly believe that the staff and education afforded by MiraCosta has put me in the position of where I am today.”