When Thiago Barranco first arrived at MiraCosta College, he had a plan: take his classes, earn the credits he needed, and transfer as quickly as possible.
He did not expect MiraCosta to become a place where he would find community, discover new opportunities, and eventually serve as student body president.
A first-generation college student and political science major with a strong interest in international relations, Barranco came to MiraCosta after his senior year of high school with his sights already set on eventually attending a four-year university.
Programs including Puente and Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) connected Barranco with counselors, resources, other students, and alumni. Those relationships helped him begin seeing MiraCosta not simply as a place to take classes, but as a community he could participate in and help shape.
Through Puente, he met students and alumni who had transferred to universities, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. He began thinking differently about his own possibilities.
“I was like, wow, maybe I have a shot at going to a top university if I do engage on campus,” he said.
So, he engaged.
Participation in the Puente Club introduced him to more students and campus leaders. From there, he joined the Associated Student Government.
“I needed that connection to campus,” he said.
That connection grew into leadership.
Today, Barranco serves as student body president, representing the same student community that helped transform his own experience at MiraCosta.
Along the way, he has also taken advantage of scholarships, financial aid, and opportunities such as MiraCosta’s Passport Grant. For Barranco, these resources have provided more than individual benefits. They have shown him what becomes possible when students have access to information, support, and people willing to point them toward opportunities.
His academic experience reflects that transformation as well. During his first year at MiraCosta, Barranco carried a demanding course load while earning a 4.0 GPA.
But he is quick to make the story larger than his own accomplishments. That perspective now influences the way he approaches student leadership. Barranco wants other students to know about the opportunities he discovered and to feel connected to the College itself.
“I just really want to connect other students like me to these opportunities, because there is an abundance of them.”
His ambitions extend well beyond MiraCosta.
After transferring, Barranco hopes to complete his bachelor’s degree, serve in the military, and later return to higher education. Political science has also sparked an interest in public service, and he can imagine running for elected office one day.
And much further down the road, he already has another possibility in mind.
“I'd love to end my career being a professor at MiraCosta College or Stanford.”
For now, however, Barranco’s focus is on the community immediately around him.
When asked what keeps him motivated through classes, leadership responsibilities, and the work required to reach his goals, he came back to the people he has met at MiraCosta.
“The people MiraCosta College fosters, or has, are really amazing, and have taught me a lot.”
Barranco came looking for a path to his next destination. What he found was a place worth becoming part of.