Second-year student Zora Williams is using her voice to bring more mental health and nutrition programming to San Diego Mesa College. Williams was elected president of the college’s Associated Students (AS) for the 2024-2025 academic year and serves as the college’s student representative on the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees.
Sometimes, you hear a story that makes you want to know more. Kevin Gonzalez has such a story. The last time this story was updated, San Diego Mesa College student Kevin Gonzalez was a 15 year-old heading off to Massachusetts to complete his high school education. In the ensuing years, he has travelled to the other side of the world, built houses, but remained in close contact with his Mesa College professors and connections he made while on campus.
The San Diego Community College District has appointed four new student trustees for the upcoming academic year. Dalia Ramirez (San Diego City College), Zora Williams (San Diego Mesa College), Hailey Hua (San Diego Miramar College), and Haydee Zuniga (San Diego College of Continuing Education), will be sworn in during the June 20 SDCCD Board of Trustees meeting.
December 3, 2020
San Diego, CA. — It is with great sadness and deep regret that San Diego Mesa College announces the passing of one of the greatest long jumpers in history, Arnie Robinson, at the age of 72. Arnie Paul Robinson, Jr. had a nearly life-long connection to Mesa College as a student, a coach and a Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient. He lived in San Diego and began his track career as a stand-out athlete at Morse High School. In 1967, he enrolled at Mesa College, where he set school records in the long jump, high jump, and triple jump for track and field.
After graduation from Mesa, Arnie earned a scholarship to SDSU, where he won the 1970 NCAA long jump champion title. The following year he won his first USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships title, qualifying him for the 1971 Pan American Games, where he won the Gold Medal. In 1972 he again won the USA Championships, and in 1975, Robinson went on to win four straight USA Outdoor Championships. In the Pan Am Games, he won the silver medal. In 1976, he took gold at the Olympics, and in 1977, at the first ever World Cup meet in Düsseldorf, Germany, he again took home gold.
In 1982, he began coaching at Mesa College and served as a Professor in Health and
Exercise Science until his retirement. His 1998 women’s team won the California Community
College State Championship. Robinson retired from coaching and teaching in 2010,
after 23 years as the Head Track and Field Coach at Mesa College. In 2013, Mesa College
honored the Olympian Long Jumper by naming their premier high school and college invitational
meet, “The Arnie Robinson Invitational”.
During his 25 years as head coach at Mesa, Coach Robinson’s teams won 15 conference
championships, 10 regional championships appearances, and two state championship appearances
with one state title. He also coached six state champion student-athletes, with one
competing in the Olympic trials and another, Felix Sanchez, winning a gold medal in
Athens for the 400-meter hurdles. Robinson also served as USATF San Diego-Imperial
Youth Track and Field Chair for a number of years and mentored thousands of youth
athletes over the years.
Arnie Robinson was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2000, the San Diego Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1984 and the CCCAA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2007. Arnie was a true "Mesa Olympian"; an amazing coach, role model and student advocate.
Tags: Athletics, Arnie Robinson, Alumni, Arnie Robinson Invitational
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
jnkearns@sdccd.edu
(619) 388-2759
San Diego –On Monday, July 22 to Thursday, July 25, 2024, the San Diego Mesa College Softball program and Nike’s US Sports Camp program will host a half day and day camp for local girls, ages 6-14, at all levels of experience with Softball. Campers will learn the skills required to successfully play at a competitive level and maximize their potential as players.
On Monday, March 11, Mesa Dramatic Arts majors were thrilled when five Mesa College alumni came to speak with current students about their journey in the performing arts thus far. The panel, titled Life Post Mesa in the Performing Arts: Transfer and more, was organized by Drama Professor George Ye’. He explained that he wanted to show current students a “cross section of people with different pathways.”
San Diego Mesa College Alumnus Mario Romero made history as part of a team from Intuitive Machines’ whose uncrewed lander made history Thursday as the first privately owned spacecraft to touch down on the lunar surface. It was also the first U.S. vehicle to accomplish this in more than 50 years. After four years of preparations, the company’s 14-foot-tall Nova-C lander navigated to a spot near the moon’s South Pole. It was the 24th mission to softly land on the moon since 1966. And with it comes a new era of exploration.
