Meet our Students

Meet Summer Birdsill

Summer Birdsill manages three part time jobs while going to school and taking care of her six-year-old daughter. As a single mom, she balances work as a tax preparer for Liberty Tax Service, another job doing screen printing for the T-Shirt Factory, and a weekend job at Maui Wowi Coffee and Smoothies in downtown Oceanside.  If she has any spare time after studying, she likes to paint and go surfing.

“I get asked all the time ‘how do you do it, work and go to school with a child,’ and I tell them I honestly don't know. I do it for my daughter. She inspires me to do my best and become someone she can look up to. I want her to see that anything is possible,” says Summer.

Summer’s original career goal was to become a CPA, but after taking MiraCosta College’s Individual Tax class, she realized she might want to specialize in taxes, so she is doing both.

“I took the Individual Tax and I learned so much about taxes and found it so interesting that I knew I was going to pursue a certification as a Tax Preparer after the class was over.”

During one semester, Summer met with representatives from several tax services who came to MiraCosta to talk about recruiting students for the tax season. “It definitely made it easier to get a job after the class,” Summer says. “MiraCosta has a huge part in preparing me for the job market.”

Summer graduated in May with an Associate Degree in business administration and transferred to CSU San Marcos to pursue a B.A. in accounting. She plans on taking the CPA exam along with the Enrolled Agent exams.

“What I liked most about attending MiraCosta are the people. I met some really interesting people and made friendships that will last a lifetime,” Summer states. “I never experienced a class at MiraCosta that I did not enjoy because the professors are wonderful at what they do and care about the success of their students.”