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2009 Commencement
Commencement Video 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
5:00 pm
Oceanside Campus
Administration Building
2009 Commencement Address
Dr. Carmen Ruiz, M.D.
When Carmen Ruiz was a girl, her mother often treated her ailments with medicinal herbs. Her grandmother believed that a concoction of soil and water taken orally would “thicken her blood.” Dr. Ruiz, a MiraCosta College graduate, is now practicing a more traditional type of medicine as a colorectal surgeon.
Dr. Ruiz’s life, however, is anything but traditional. An Oceanside High School graduate, she married soon after high school and had two sons. While working as a full-time mother, Ruiz
came to MiraCosta College where she earned a certificate in cosmetology. However, she never used her skills and soon decided a career in cosmetology was not for her. She reenrolled at MiraCosta with the goal to someday become a doctor. Expecting to be laughed at, she kept her educational goals secret until her studies were well under way.
Once Ruiz got started working toward her goal, there was no stopping her. She transferred from MiraCosta to San Diego State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She sent out 20 applications to medical schools, was offered interviews by 15 of the 20 and was on her fourth interview when she learned she had been accepted to Harvard. Dr. Ruiz went on to earn her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed a residency at the Mayo Graduate School. She is now a practicing surgeon in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
For additional information about the ceremony, please contact Director of Student Activities Jim Gonzales at (760) 795-6899.
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