Many people spend their whole lives searching for what they're meant to do. For Ksenia Filatova, she found her calling through moments of stillness and clarity. She just didn’t know it until she got to community college.
“When I was young, I was led to believe I would be unlikely to succeed in scientific studies due to my critical father, so I initially closed that door in my head,” shared Ksenia.
“I grew up in the Montessori education system all the way to high school. My mother was very supportive in my educational journey, but my father didn’t believe in me the same way,” continued Ksenia. “This set me back from what I realized was my calling.”
Instead, Ksenia followed a path toward business. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing in another country. But as the years passed, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her future lied somewhere else.
This is when her journey took a sharp turn. Ksenia listened to her gut and enrolled at MiraCosta College to start a new chapter, following her passion for science. Although not entirely sure where it would lead, Ksenia knew for the first time that she was heading in the right direction.
Shared Ksenia, “When I am alone and unbothered, I like to read articles on nutrition, deeper understanding of the human body, and the effects that various things have on it. And I realized I wanted to connect my life to it.”
But to do that, the road would not be easy.
Ksenia arrived at MiraCosta College as a student starting essentially from scratch in a field she had never formally studied. There were semesters where she could only take one class because she was pregnant. Others where she squeezed in coursework with her son in her arms at home. She patched together childcare however she could and pressed forward, semester by semester.
“People look at me like I'm crazy,” she says with a laugh. “But I don't see myself doing it any other way.”
The game-changer came this past summer when Ksenia stumbled upon something she hadn't known existed – MiraCosta College's Child Development Center, right on the campus she had been attending for years.
Beamed Ksenia, “I couldn’t believe it. Previously, I was only able to take one or two courses because childcare was a huge barrier for me. Then all of a sudden that challenge was solved.”
Ksenia applied to the Child Development Center immediately. Once her son was enrolled, the staff worked with her schedule, eventually offering full days on her class days so she could stay for complete lectures, study in the library afterward, and pick him up without the constant juggling act. This semester, with full-time enrollment approved, she is carrying 18 units and finally running at full speed.
The financial reality behind Ksenia's journey has been challenging, to say the least. Due to authorization restrictions, she relies on her Ukrainian partner to support the family and also help her parents. She visits MiraCosta's food pantry regularly and applies for every scholarship she can find, writing application essay after application essay.
Last year, that persistence paid off when she was awarded the Kathleen Rippberger Memorial Endowed Scholarship, a recognition that was extremely valuable, along with the $500 award to pay off a portion of her tuition fees for the semester.
“We have a huge financial need,” Ksenia shared. “Any opportunity I see at school, I go for it.”
It's that same resourcefulness that defines how she approaches everything. The early mornings, the packed schedule, the meal prepping done days in advance so that nothing slips.
Ksenia has a passion and has a dream, and is doing everything she can to achieve it.
Ask Ksenia where she sees herself in ten years and she is quick to note the world of opportunity in front of her. Whether it’s working in genetics, gene therapy, attending medical school, or another aspect of science, Ksenia wants to help people.
“I don't know where life will take me,” said Ksenia. “I just know that I want to understand everything and anything related to human biology. I want to help others get to the root of their challenges, not just treat their symptoms."
For someone who was once told science wasn't her path, Ksenia has built quite a path for herself. And she's just getting started.