Mesa College student veteran and prospective Health Information Technology graduate shares her experiences in higher education and giving back to the veteran community.
San Diego Mesa College has announced a new partnership with California LAW that will create a pathway for Mesa College students to complete their education and enter the legal profession. Cal LAW collaborates with community colleges to encourage diverse students enter the legal profession in order to represent the diverse population of the state of California. Mesa College will begin accepting interested students into its Pathway to Law School program in Spring 2021. Community colleges such as mesa partnering in the program were chosen due to their high commitment to equity, demonstrated by college leadership and resources that provide transformative educational experiences and support for students on a pathway to a law career.
Add writing a book to Professor Michael Harrison’s impressive list of activities and interests. Most people at Mesa College know him as a Spanish Professor, a member of the LGBTQ+ Task Force, the Co-Advisor for the Mesa Gender-Sexuality Alliance and even as a tenor with the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus. In his “spare time” though, he is a comic book fan. Really. Since forever. And, he loves superheroes in comics. And Comic-Con. Just ask him. His face will light up.
Due to continuity of instruction and rigorous adherence to guidelines and safety practices, 100% of Mesa College’s 2020 graduating Dental students who were seeking employment, were able to get hired this past summer, despite the global pandemic. Even though Mesa’s Dental Assisting students were not allowed to return to campus until June 22, 2020, during that time frame, the Dental Assisting faculty continued to engage and instruct students in their laboratory courses, remotely, through videos, virtual simulations, case studies role playing and discussions.
February 27, 2020
Mesa College student veteran and prospective Health Information Technology graduate shares her experiences in higher education and giving back to the veteran community.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in the small farming town of Columbia, NC.
Q: What is your major/area of study?
A: I am studying Health Information Technology.
Q: Why did you choose to come to Mesa College?
A: I was checking the accreditations of the colleges for medical billing and coding certificates. Mesa was on my list and when I looked into their program I realized they offered a degree! I knew this was the college I had to attend. It was a great opportunity that I just could not pass on.
Q: How are you involved at Mesa?
A: I am an active member and secretary of the Student Veterans Organization (SVO). Our club raises money to buy free snacks for the Veterans Success Center for students who are food insecure or who are just in the mood for a bit to eat. We also like to host events. Our last event was a BBQ at Crown Point.
Q: What value does your experience at Mesa bring to your life?
A: When I was a freshman in high school I was told by a counselor that college was not for me because of my dyslexia. So naturally, I was terrified of even trying to further my education. My first semester at Mesa was the first time I truly felt my academic potential shine and I knew that counselor was wrong.
Q: What made you want to go to college? What was the deciding factor?
A: I was leaving the Navy and I knew I needed to change my career. Once I read about medical billing and coding I knew college was a step I needed to take.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: My plans are to work for the government in the Health Information field. Hopefully, I will get a job in the VA one day. Even though I am not in the military anymore I still feel the need to serve and what better way to do that by helping our Veterans though working for the VA.
Q: One piece of advice you would give to other Mesa students?
A: Do not wait until the last minute to do homework. I promise you it's less stressful. Leave your phones in another room or bag while studying. Also, Hydrate.
Q: What was the hardest thing you had to overcome in your college career?
A: I have always struggled (and still do) when it came to reading textbooks and articles. I found that highlighting and reading out loud (to my cat Petey) helps me. I also use sticky notes to break the chapters into sections. Once I reach a sticky note I take a break, walk around, then start the next section.
Q: What do you see as the best part of Mesa? For what specific reason should someone go here?
A: Mesa has a great staff from counseling to teachers. I feel like they actually care about the students. No matter how small my question was the staff always found a way to help little old me.
Q: What is your favorite or funniest memory of Mesa?
A: I really enjoy listing to the Club reports from an unofficial gaming club. They were always talking about battling monsters and going on quests. You just never knew what they were up to next.
Q: Do you have any other thoughts or special mentions?
A: SVO is a club that I adore. When I first came to Mesa all I wanted to do was go to class and go home. No making friends. I didn't realize that I was actually really lonely. The club helped me realized that I didn't have to go through college and transition from military to civilian life alone. They're like my little second family.
Tags: Veterans Success Center, Veterans, Allied Health, Health Information Technology, Student Spotlight
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, CA. — On Saturday, May 19, San Diego Mesa College will make history by awarding the College’s first Bachelor of Science degrees in Health Information Management (HIM) to sixteen students. The HIM Program is a continuation of the College’s Health Information Technology (HEIT) Associates Degree program, and provides accessible, high-quality, industry-approved instruction designed to prepare students to work at a management level in a health care setting.
