San Diego Mesa College Student, Wesley Renda, has found a way to change the drinking game forever. He invented a cup called, “WesCup”, that is able to hold three drinks in one cup. The drinking cup allows consumers to enjoy three flavors of their favorite drink at one time. These cups are being sold at 30 stores in San Diego and is going into 7/11 this month.
The Houston Texans continue to pick from the San Francisco 49ers’ coaching staff as DeMeco Ryans forms his new crew with the AFC South. According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans are hiring 49ers defensive quality control coach Stephen Adegoke as their new safeties coach.
Denise Rogers is a professor of art history at San Diego Mesa College, manages the college’s World Art permanent collection, and is the curator of “Africa in Context,” currently on display through Feb. 23 at the college in celebration of Black History Month. By Lisa Deaderick | February 4, 2023 As a young girl growing up in southeastern San Diego’s Shelltown neighborhood, Denise Rogers spent time flipping through the pages of Time and Life magazines her mother kept on their coffee table. At the time, she just enjoyed the pictures from galleries in New York, Paris, and Italy. Later, after an introductory art course prompted her to change her major from fashion design to art history, she found a career path that allowed her to pair her love of both history and art.
June 11, 2018
The San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) today announced a major expansion of its tuition-free program known as the San Diego Promise making all recent high school graduates who are first-time, full-time students eligible to receive two free years of college.
Participating students may attend San Diego City, San Diego Mesa, and/or San Diego Miramar colleges.
The expanded San Diego Promise program will cost an estimated $1.86 million in 2018-2019 and be paid for using a combination of state and non-state funds. Participating students’ first year will be funded through an allocation in the state budget called the California College Promise, which implements Assembly Bill 19 (Santiago). Students’ second year will be underwritten through a district-led fundraising campaign.
The district estimates 3,500 or more students may benefit from the San Diego Promise in the 2018-19 academic year. To qualify, students must be a California resident or have attended a California high school for three years, have earned a high school diploma in June 2017 or later, be a first-time college student, enroll in at least 12 units, and have completed a 2018-19 FAFSA or Dream Act application.
District officials stressed the importance of providing two years of free tuition which will allow full-time students to complete their program of study and enter the workforce or transfer to a university.
“A college education is key to economic advancement, since most jobs now require some level of postsecondary preparation,” SDCCD Chancellor Constance Carroll said. “In addition to excellent instruction, the San Diego Promise program also includes individualized support services, educational planning tools, and counseling in order to ensure students’ success in obtaining a degree or certificate. This is all part of a team effort to provide equitable access to our colleges and to improve student outcomes once they are enrolled.”
As part of the fundraising effort that is aimed at generating increased community involvement in the San Diego Promise, Oscar-nominated actress and Mesa College alumna Annette Bening – a San Diego Promise donor – will headline a Sept. 20 benefit gala at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park.
Today’s announcement took place at a morning news conference held at San Diego Mesa College. Attendees included dozens of current San Diego Promise students and community leaders who will be assisting in the fundraising campaign.
Launched as a pilot program in 2016 with 186 students, the San Diego Promise included 661 students at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges during the just-completed 2017-18 academic year. Expanding the program means first-time, full-time students this fall will not have to pay tuition for two years as long as they complete at least 12 units and maintain a 2.0 GPA.
“Thousands of seniors are graduating this week from high schools in the San Diego Unified School District, and historically one-third will go on to enroll at City, Mesa, or Miramar colleges,” San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten said. “We are absolutely thrilled that the expanded San Diego Promise means all of these students who enroll full time will be eligible for two, tuition-free years at one of the finest community college systems in the country.”
Over its first two years, the San Diego Promise has demonstrated positive outcomes. For example, the average GPA for an African-American Promise student this past year was 3.33, nearly a full point above the 2.37 average GPA for other first-time, full-time African-American students, according to a district analysis. In addition, 19 percent of San Diego Promise students – nearly 1 in 5 – had a 4.0 GPA this past year, whereas 12 percent of other first-time, full-time students had a 4.0 GPA. And several San Diego Promise students who graduated in May are transferring to UC San Diego, San Diego State University, and other four-year colleges and universities.
San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer noted the higher salaries that SDCCD graduates earn – $400,000 more during their working lifetime than someone with just a high school diploma – and said the San Diego Promise is an investment in the region’s future.
“The San Diego Promise program is helping San Diego ensure that our workforce continues to be competitive,” Mayor Faulconer said. “We will have more well-trained graduates contributing to our economy and San Diego's future rather than worrying about how they are going to pay off their student loan debt.”
Students can learn more about the San Diego Promise and begin the process to sign up by visiting sdccd.edu/Promise and clicking on the “Future Promise Students” tab. The district encourages students to complete a San Diego Promise Interest Form by August 2.
Tags: Free Tuition Program, Press Release, Mesa College, Promise Program, San Diego Promise
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
jnkearns@sdccd.edu
(619) 388-2759
San Diego - As the leading college of equity and excellence, San Diego Mesa College believes that textbooks should not be a barrier to education. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there has been a 1041% increase in textbook costs from 1977 to 2015. This increase in textbook costs has contributed to education being prohibitive.
San Diego psychology professor Dr. Inna Kanevsky gained TikTok fame by debunking mental health misinformation on the popular social media platform. She now has more than a million followers as she fights to make content creators stick to scientific facts.
San Diego, CA, - Black History Month celebrations begin today at San Diego Mesa College, and the annual Rosa Parks Birthday Recognition & Libation is scheduled for Thursday, February 2. Community members are invited to join Mesa College administrators, faculty, staff and students at 12:00 p.m. for a silent walk from the Osani Circle at the Humanities and Cultural Studies Building (G-103) to the Rosa Parks Transit Station, on the corner of Mesa College Dr. and Mesa College Circle, for a traditional libation and remembrance. The walk is to honor those who walked instead of riding the bus after Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.
