San Diego Mesa College’s Financial Literacy Series is back by popular demand to present students with more exciting speaker events for the fall 2018 semester.
Psychology major Emerald Moreno is inspired by a passion for understanding and interpreting others, along with a deep faith that psychology is her calling. She plans to transfer to a university to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology, minor in Spanish, and continue exploring a future in law.
After a major surgery and months of recovery, Tracey Kushner faced a decision that would reshape her future. In 2024, she returned to San Diego Mesa College determined to finish the degree she had started years earlier.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego Mesa College proudly celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2026 during its annual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 29, 2026, honoring 1,958 graduates who earned more than 2,017 academic degrees and 414 certificates. A total of 727 graduates participated in the ceremony, joined by family, friends, faculty, staff, and community supporters.
November 7, 2017

On Thursday, Oct 26, San Diego Mesa College held its fourth installment in the Financial Literacy Speaker Series, “Identity Theft”, with Navy veteran and Financial Coach Rae Russell. Russell is a returning speaker from the previous Financial Literacy events and spends her time mentoring families on how to manage their finances.
Russell shared information, crime trends, and advice regarding money and the different points of access with nearly 50 students in attendance. Specific topics included the importance of social security confidentiality, how to be an educated consumer, the pros and cons of advanced technology creating easily accessible information via digital pathways, and ways to protect yourself and your information. One example of a case Russell shared was of a four year old who was already experiencing identity theft and owed $23,000 in credit card debt and had a mortgage filed in their name. The main focus of her presentation was that it really can happen to anyone, and how students need to be proactive about protecting their information.
Howard Eskew, chair of academic affairs committee and assistant professor of business at Mesa College, organizes and moderates these events for the student community. The program focuses on educating students about personal finances and includes topics such as investment basics, spending and saving, credit and loans, and more. The fifth and last installment of the semester, “Ain’t No Question Hard Enough”, will take place on Thursday, Nov 9 in LRC 435. Experts in the industry will be present and available for questions regarding financial topics in a Q&A panel setting.
The Financial Literacy Speaker Series program is made possible due to support from the California Coast Credit Union and the San Diego Financial Literacy Center. For more information about the Financial Literacy Series, contact Howard Eskew at [email protected] or (619) 388-5957.
Tags: Financial Literacy Series, San Diego Financial Literacy Center, Identity Theft, California Coast Credit Union
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
[email protected]
(619) 388-2759