This is where I'll be in the community over the next month, please join me.
HUBU (Hermanos Unidos/ Brothers United) Oct 30,
9-11 a.m.- San Diego City College
MiraCosta College Events
Looking Out, Looking In
Adam Belt, Michael Whiting
October 13-November 5
Both artists work in a reduced, concise manner and at the same time explore large ideas. Mike Whiting studies the world. His images take everyday objects and scenes and abstracts them. Looking in, he minimizes their forms into low-count pixel-based works. Adam Belt’s work looks out to the universe. His use of simple materials reduces the expanse of space into tactile paintings and objects that speak as much about their materials and processes as
they do the universe.
Come To Me, My Love
Directed by Arlie Langager
Friday, October 30, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 1, 2 p.m.
MiraCosta College
Creative Arts Complex, Studio A
1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside
General admission, $10; students/seniors, $8
Box Office: (760) 795-6815
MiraCosta’s choirs share two performances with special guest artists in Studio A. This intimate venue is the perfect setting for a concert of exquisite songs of loves lost and found.
The 1940’s Radio Hour
By Walton Jones and Carol Lees
Directed by Tracy Williams
MiraCosta College Theatre
1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside
November 13, 14*, 19, 20, 21
7:30 p.m.
November 15, 21, 22: 2 p.m.
General Admission, $12; Seniors/Staff, $10; Students, $8; Preview night: All seats, $8
Box Office: (760) 795-6815
Written by Carlsbad resident Walton Jones, The 1940’s Radio Hour has captured the spirit of the 1940’s era with Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, That Old Black Magic, Blue Moon and more. A seedy New York radio station takes to the air at the beginning of World War II in a “live” broadcast for the troops overseas. Big band music, swing dancing, quirky characters and good old-fashioned fun make this a show you won’t want to miss.
*Big band dinner dance fundraiser, Saturday, November 14
A swinging good time before the show! Call (760) 216-7858
Dance Studio Hour
Thursday, November 5, 7:30 p.m.
MiraCosta College San Elijo Campus
Room 204
3333 Manchester Avenue, Cardiff
Free admission
Info., (760) 795-6815
An informal presentation by students in MiraCosta'|s dance classes. The evening showcases ballet, jazz, modern, tap, ballroom, commercial, Latin, and world dance forms. A demonstration of Pilates mat work
will also be included.
Dan & Friends
Directed by Dan Libertino
Saturday, November 21, 7:30 p.m.
MiraCosta College San Elijo Campus
Room 204
3333 Manchester Avenue, Cardiff
General admission, $10; students/seniors, $8
Box Office: (760) 795-6815
Join us for a night of Spanish romantic guitar. Dan Libertino, MiraCosta guitar instructor, will play selections from the Baroque to the Beatles. Also featured will be flamenco duets with Rob Szajkowski of the Alegrias Guitar Duo and Bill Jones, current masters in music candidate and former MiraCosta
music student.
Catch the great music, theatre, art, film, dance and lecture events happening each month at MiraCosta College! Visit our arts and events pages for more information.
To learn about how to create a scholarship, click here.
Student Success Stories
Garrett Bales
A graduate of Carlsbad High School, Garrett has been active in the theater department at MiraCosta, and can be seen onstage as part of the Actor's Academy this summer. Receiving a textbook scholarship has given him the ability to pursue his passion for acting both in and out of the classroom.? Read More >
Lily Hung
Thirty-six years after graduating from High School in Hong Kong, Lilly Hung will graduate from MiraCosta this spring with an Associates degree in psychology. She has received a number of scholarships, including the MiraCosta College Foundation scholarship for her excellence both in and outside of the classroom. Read More >
Scotty Castillo
Scotty Castillo is a computer science major, and has received the Mort and Agatha Winski Memorial Scholarship for four separate semesters at
MiraCosta College. Read about Scotty and how his passion for computer games is making way for his future career path.
President's Message for October
A startling statistic that many may not be aware of is that in California, 53% of Latino males drop out of high school, compared with the national average of 22% for non-Latino, white males. This is a trend we need to address and reverse.
In partnership with Karen Haynes, president of Cal State San Marcos, and Robert Deegan, president of Palomar College, MiraCosta hosted the sixth annual Encuentros Education & Career Exploration Conference. The three of us enthusiastically endorse Encuentros, a six- year-old North Country organization that encourages and supports boys of Latino descent to achieve excellence in education.
Encuentros, which means “encounters” in Spanish, offered participants the opportunity to be exposed to outstanding role models and career pathways, and to receive tangible information on the process of preparing for and gaining access to college. Along the way, they meet new friends from other local schools, gain confidence in their own capabilities, and develop the sense of contributing back to their communities in positive ways. Many come away inspired.
This Encuentros program is important to me because I have a deep sense of urgency when it comes to providing educational opportunities to the most vulnerable of student populations. African American and Latino males are the groups that possess the highest risk of dropping out of high school, let alone college. I shared with the students that morning that I saw younger versions of myself when I looked at them. Were it not for someone extending a hand, showing the way and holding me accountable, I surely would not be in the role I am in today. I have absolutely no doubts about that.
MiraCosta has also hosted many events that linked up our students with local businesses and industry professionals. Read below to learn about the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour, the Design Drafting Expo, the Horticulture Career fair and the upcoming Career and Technical Expo.
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Cary Coll is a welcomed addition to the MiraCosta family. She is completing an internship from the University of Southern California in social work by providing counseling to returning veterans and helping the college establish a Veterans Center on campus. The Veterans Center will support veterans in meeting their academic and professional goals. Services will include identifying college and community resources, scholarship and transfer information, benefits, and affiliation with the Student Veterans of America.
Before starting the master’s program at USC, Cary lived in Tampa, FL where she worked in the community facilitating programs geared at creating stronger families. Being at MiraCosta is also a homecoming since Cary and her husband lived at Camp Pendleton for several years while he was a parachute rigger with 1st Force Reconnaissance Company.
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Great things are happening at MiraCosta College this fall semester, and I will continue to send out this newsletter monthly to keep you apprised. In the meantime, as always, please feel free to contact me anytime at Francisco.Rodriguez@miracosta.edu.
Encuentros Conference Gives Latino Boys Hope for the Future
In early October, MiraCosta hosted the sixth annual Encuentros Conference and welcomed hundreds of area Latino boys to the Oceanside Campus to attend workshops, demonstrations and speeches designed to motivate the youngsters to pursue education.
In an article published in the North County Times, conference chairwoman Lisa Montes stated that the dropout rate of high school Latino boys is 70%, and she added, "This conference sends a clear message to prepare themselves. It also lets them know that the community is behind them."
Conference host was NBC 7/39 reporter Artie Ojeda, who encouraged the young men in attendance to find their passion. "Once you can answer that question, it will open a lot of doors."
The North County Times had a write-up about the conference. It can be read here. Better yet, take a look at the video made by MiraCosta college students to see for yourself the impact the day had on area teenagers.
MiraCosta Events Link Students with Career Possibilities
MiraCosta College facutly are constantly working on ways to introduce our students to local industry, and give them the opportunity to learn about careers available to them here locally. In the month of October, MiraCosta hosted several great events that gave students the chance to meet local professionals and get a head start on their careers.
Design Summit
The Design Summit at MiraCosta, held October 10, was a great success. More than 90 participants, including faculty, industry professionals, and at least 20 middle- and high-school students, attended the event.
The schedule included a tour of the new design facility on the Oceanside Campus; breakfast and lunch; a program overview; and several break-out sessions on subjects such as design software, printing and career options. Instructors, industry professionals and program alumni came together for roundatble discussions that provided a glimpse into the possibilities available to those who pursue a drafting/design career.
Lead instructor and summit organizer Paul Clarke has received many positive comments and e-mails, including this one from former MCC student David Garcia, who participated in the alumni roundtable. "The event seemed to go off without a hitch, everything was well executed and just about right on schedule. It was so nice to see a lot of people I haven't seen since I began. A lot of people stayed past noon, when it was scheduled to end, but it's nice to see that people are so interested that they were sticking around!"
Department Dean Al Taccone attended the summit as well, and proclaimed the event a success. "Thanks, Paul, and thank you to everyone who made the Design Summit a great event. Bringing faculty, current students, future students and industry partners together is critical to the success of Career and Technical Education programs," he said.
"The Design Summit was successful in achieving the goals of ensuring our program's progress to meet the economic development needs of our community while providing students the opportunity to gain education and skills that will result in living wage jobs."
Horticulture Career Fair
Meanwhile, MiraCosta's award-winning Horticulture Department was busy presenting a career fair and open house. Professionals from horticulture-related industries spoke about preparation for careers in the field, and discussed the climate of today's horticulture job market.
Featured panelists included Rene van Rems, internationally acclaimed floral designer; Diane Downey, MiraCosta graduate and owner of the Yard Fairy; Brian Maynard, manager with Brickman Industries; Larry Amling, HR, Armstrong Garden Centers; Marilyn Guidroz, landscape designer; David Reed, landscape architect; and Pete Anderson, viticulturist.
Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour
On Wednesday, October 14, hundreds of MiraCosta students turned out for the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour, brought to the college by MiraCosta's Small Business Development Center.
The one-of-a-kind conference, hosted by business wunderkind Michael Simmons, featured successful businessmen and women in their 20s as part of a first-ever national collegiate entrepreneur tour. A panel discussion featured local entrepreneurs Ralph Rubio, founder of Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, and MiraCosta student Mary Tamsin Thoren, winner of the spring 2009 Young Entrepreneur's Project.
Just because the economy has taken a turn for the worse doesn't mean that the business dreams of young entrepreneurs need to come to a screeching stop, and that message was first and foremost throughout the free event. The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour is the brainchild of Michael Simmons and business whiz Sheena Lindahl.
XETV 6 and KUSI news reporters were on hand with a camera crew to do live coverage for the morning news.
Career Expo at CLC!
Students at MiraCosta's Community Learning Center (CLC) will also benefit from a day designed to introduce them to careers, and the programs that will help them land great jobs. The Career and Technical Eduction Expo
will be held
November 12, 9-11:30 a.m. at the Community Learning Center, 1931 Mission Avenue in Oceanside. Call (760) 795-8709 for more information.
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A graduate of Carlsbad High School, Garrett has been active in the theater department at MiraCosta, and can be seen onstage as part of the Actor's Academy this summer. Receiving a textbook scholarship has given him the ability to pursue his passion for acting both in and out of the classroom.? 
Thirty-six years after graduating from High School in Hong Kong, Lilly Hung will graduate from MiraCosta this spring with an Associates degree in psychology. She has received a number of scholarships, including the MiraCosta College Foundation scholarship for her excellence both in and outside of the classroom. 
Scotty Castillo is a computer science major, and has received the Mort and Agatha Winski Memorial Scholarship for four separate semesters at 
In early October, MiraCosta hosted the sixth annual Encuentros Conference and welcomed hundreds of area Latino boys to the Oceanside Campus to attend workshops, demonstrations and speeches designed to motivate the youngsters to pursue education.
Meanwhile, MiraCosta's award-winning Horticulture Department was busy presenting a career fair and open house. Professionals from horticulture-related industries spoke about preparation for careers in the field, and discussed the climate of today's horticulture job market. 
The one-of-a-kind conference, hosted by business wunderkind Michael Simmons, featured successful businessmen and women in their 20s as part of a first-ever national collegiate entrepreneur tour. A panel discussion featured local entrepreneurs Ralph Rubio, founder of Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, and MiraCosta student Mary Tamsin Thoren, winner of the spring 2009 Young Entrepreneur's Project.