Meet our Students

Elvia Guadarrama

Elvia Guadarrama grew up in Mexico, and when she moved to the United States in 2008 she says she experienced culture shock.

“My life took a 180 degree turn. Everything was new for me. The culture, the food, but most of all, the language—it shocked me completely.” But Elvia didn’t give up. After two months she started taking English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at MiraCosta College’s Community Learning Center in Oceanside.

“The warmth of all my teachers gave me the confidence to keep going on with my education,” she says.

A year later she graduated from high school and enrolled in the credit program at MiraCosta College. Since then she has been awarded a MiraCosta College Foundation scholarship and is now on her way to a college degree.

Her dream is to become a neurologist and conduct research on Alzheimer’s disease and other brain diseases. To achieve that, Elvia is ready to tackle a lot of hard work.

"Since I was a kid, my father has taught me that if I want something I have to work hard to get it. The hard part of this lesson was that I didn’t have paper or pencil to learn it. The tools he gave me were a machete, a hoe and a bucket full of fertilizer. I remember crying in the middle of the field wondering why I had to work that hard. Now that I am grown, I have realized that if I had to work hard as a child it was only because otherwise I would never have valued education as I now do.”

Elvia is the first in her family to attend college and she wants to inspire her sisters to work hard and push themselves to reach their goals.

“MiraCosta College has given me the chance to believe that I can make my dreams come true. The faculty believed in me as no one else.  They are giving me the opportunity to succeed in life. “