Jessica Mora Jacinto thought that electrical engineering was her passion, but her internship at MiraCosta College has proven to her that she wants to pursue it as a career.

In her internship at the college, Mora Jacinto is learning how to use an Arduino micro-controller to build a clap switch program – like the “Clap On Clap Off” clappers that can turn a light on or off with a clap of the hands.

“I have enjoyed it so much. Doing it in the real world and seeing how electricity works has been so amazing,” Mora Jacinto said. “It’s 100% confirmed that that’s what I want to do.”

Mora Jacinto came back to MiraCosta College in 2022 after a brief stint at the college when she graduated from high school. She worked in the food industry for five years, but didn’t enjoy it. She took a career aptitude test that showed she had a talent for electronics and she decided to resume her education.

Mora Jacinto is majoring in computer science since MiraCosta College doesn’t have an engineering program. She said she’s enjoying her math and science classes.

“I really enjoy problem solving, like puzzles and board games,” she said. “The STEM field is big on problem solving and critical skills. I have found it be very motivating to take the challenge of those hard classes.”

Her paid internship of about five hours a week is supervised by Computer Science Instructor Eduardo Mariscal, while Computer Science Instructor Nery-Chapeton Llamas serves as her mentor.

Mora Jacinto said she hopes to transfer to the engineering program at the University of California at Irvine when she graduates from MiraCosta College in a year.

Her advice to other students considering an internship is to talk to their professors.

“The professors have a been a huge source of inspiration and motivation, and they’ve shared their knowledge with me,” Mora Jacinto said.