Mesa College student veteran and prospective Health Information Technology graduate shares her experiences in higher education and giving back to the veteran community.
Troy Cristobal is the winner of this year’s 2020 Mesa Scholarship President’s Award, given annually to a deserving Mesa College student who demonstrates leadership and academic excellence in their undergraduate career. Troy is a worthy recipient on both counts, having served as team captain for Mesa’s track and field team since the spring of 2019, and set to graduate this May as an Engineering major with a cumulative 4.0 GPA.
The Olympian Speech and Debate team is living up to its reputation as a competitive, award-winning force. After competing in four tournaments during the fall, and a fifth this semester, the Mesa Speech and Debate Team has racked up numerous titles and awards. They have been working hard and achieving success at competitions across the nation, including in New York, where Mesa students Franklin McKenzie and Katya Azzam garnered a well-earned parliamentary debate win against Ivy League Cornell University’s team (see below for a full list of achievements).
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Feb. 05, 2020) – Local community college students will be able to access and attain a San Diego State University degree through new partnerships with two community colleges without ever having to step foot on the SDSU campus. As an initial pilot of the SDSU microsite model, SDSU will launch bachelor’s degree completion programs at San Diego Mesa College and Southwestern College in Business Administration and Criminal Justice, beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year. Additional programs are being planned for future years
August 16, 2016
Calvin Dixon left the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2014 and followed the path of approximately 10,000 other active and retired military members, he attended college in the San Diego Community College District. By August of that year, he was a full-time student at San Diego Mesa College. For good reason.
“I really enjoy the small class sizes, and every professor I’ve had has had open office hours so if you’re struggling you could just drop in and get all the help and support you need,” said Dixon, who is studying mechanical engineering and works part time as an aircraft mechanic at Naval Air Station North Island. “There are a lot of resources, and the large numbers of veterans help make you feel right at home.”
From Coast to Coast
Dixon enlisted in the Marine Corps out of high school in part to help fund his college education. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and Miramar as a C-130 aircraft mechanic during his more than five years with the Marine Corps and decided to remain in San Diego after he completed his service.
One of Mesa’s biggest draws was the district’s commitment to veterans and their success.
“I spend a lot of time at the Veterans Resource Center, and a lot of people I come across at the VRC transfer to some really good schools like Columbia, Stanford, Berkeley, some of the best schools in the country, and that shows me that Mesa is a wonderful college,” he said.
Not only that, but Mesa – along with City and Miramar colleges and San Diego Continuing Education – was named a Military Friendly school.
Branching Out
Dixon is looking at transferring to San Diego State University, the most popular destination for students transferring from the San Diego Community College District. Four district students – three from San Diego City College and one from San Diego Miramar College – were awarded a prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarships worth up to $40,000 annually to complete a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university.
“I made a good decision coming here,” said Dixon.
Tags: Veterans, Featured Posts, Calvin Dixon, Veteran Affairs, Students in the News
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
jnkearns@sdccd.edu
(619) 388-2759
Mesa College student veteran and prospective Health Information Technology graduate shares her experiences in higher education and giving back to the veteran community.
Military veterans at San Diego City and San Diego Mesa colleges got an early Veterans Day present with the announcement of $400,000 in new grants to bolster services at their campus Veterans Resource Centers.
San Diego Mesa College’s veteran community will celebrate students that are graduating and/or transferring during an inaugural Veterans Graduation Ceremony on Friday, May 19 at 11 a.m.
Troy Cristobal is the winner of this year’s 2020 Mesa Scholarship President’s Award, given annually to a deserving Mesa College student who demonstrates leadership and academic excellence in their undergraduate career. Troy is a worthy recipient on both counts, having served as team captain for Mesa’s track and field team since the spring of 2019, and set to graduate this May as an Engineering major with a cumulative 4.0 GPA.
The Olympian Speech and Debate team is living up to its reputation as a competitive, award-winning force. After competing in four tournaments during the fall, and a fifth this semester, the Mesa Speech and Debate Team has racked up numerous titles and awards. They have been working hard and achieving success at competitions across the nation, including in New York, where Mesa students Franklin McKenzie and Katya Azzam garnered a well-earned parliamentary debate win against Ivy League Cornell University’s team (see below for a full list of achievements).
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Feb. 05, 2020) – Local community college students will be able to access and attain a San Diego State University degree through new partnerships with two community colleges without ever having to step foot on the SDSU campus. As an initial pilot of the SDSU microsite model, SDSU will launch bachelor’s degree completion programs at San Diego Mesa College and Southwestern College in Business Administration and Criminal Justice, beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year. Additional programs are being planned for future years
