Meet our Student

Sarah Connolly

Sarah Connolly was nominated twice as Student of the Year at La Costa Canyon High School and graduated with a 4.13 GPA before enrolling at MiraCosta College. Now in the college’s Honors Scholar Program, Sarah is majoring in English and plans to transfer to a four-year university.

Along with classes, Sarah holds down two jobs. On campus, she is an honors navigator, mentoring students, organizing events for the Honors Scholar Program and recruiting new students. Several times a week she goes to San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas and tutors college-bound students in the AVID Program.

Her advice to students figuring out where to go for college is to visit the campus. “You’ll feel the vibe on the campus and know if it’s right for you.”

Sarah recently won the Bill Foran Scholarship from the Oceanside Pacific Kiwanis for her community service to senior citizens. Each month during the summer, she helps distribute more than 100 boxes of food to seniors at the Oceanside Senior Center, where she has also served lunch. She was also awarded scholarships from the California Highway Patrol Foundation and Oceanside Teachers Association.

For Sarah, going to MiraCosta College made sense financially and academically. “Since I am paying my way through school, $1,500 a year is a better deal than paying 10 times that amount for a CSU or even more for a UC or private school, especially since the classes can transfer over.” 

“I love my honors classes! There are only 25 students—sometimes less—and the teachers are passionate about what they teach.”