When Yarletth Stephens first stepped foot onto MiraCosta College's campus, her sole intention was to learn English. Today, when she speaks on panels alongside other industry innovators, it's hard to imagine that her journey began with such a simple goal.
Yarletth's story is one of remarkable ambition and success. Born in Mexico, she moved to Oceanside nearly 15 years ago with little knowledge of the language.
"I knew my first challenge was to learn English," Yarletth recalls. “I remember seeing signs about MiraCosta College and magazines advertising the ESL program. It was the perfect place to start.”
Yarletth enrolled in the lowest level of ESL classes at MiraCosta College and slowly worked her way up. With each new class, Yarletth grew more comfortable with both her immersion and the campus setting overall.
"My ESL teachers gave me inspiration," Yarletth reflects. “It wasn't just about learning the language. They encouraged me to explore other opportunities and think about the next steps in my education.”
During one ESL exercise, Yarletth’s professor had each student write a letter to a university. Yarletth, who had no plans to attend a university at the time, was perplexed. What should she write if this wasn’t in her future plans, Yarletth thought. After speaking with her professor though, her goals shifted.
"My professor asked questions about what I was interested in and said she saw a lot of talent in me," Yarletth recounts. This encouragement led Yarletth to speak with a career counselor, who helped her select business classes and set her on a path toward business administration.
"I came to MiraCosta College for one reason and they had more things to offer me," Yarletth shared while reflecting on her time on campus. "MiraCosta College has a lot of people that want to support you and listen to you. That’s a great foundation to direct you where you want to go."
During her time as a student, Yarletth found not just academic support, but a community that wanted to see her succeed. Upon graduating with honors and completing her general education requirements at MiraCosta College, Yarletth transferred to her dream school, San Diego State University. After obtaining her degree from San Diego State University, in just a year and a half no less, Yarletth quickly excelled in the workforce.
Today, she serves as a Principal Supply Chain Procurement Specialist for industry leader Northrop Grumman where she handles requisitions for material at a multimillion-dollar threshold and gets to work with suppliers and other departments to ensure each program is successful.
As a member of a family with deep ties to the military, Yarletth has a strong connection with her work and the opportunities she now has to drive new technology forward.
“I feel like I’m part of a greater mission,” shared Yarletth. “I get to develop new technology and work on projects that help our troops at home and abroad. And it’s all because of the support I got at MiraCosta College that led me down this path.”