MiraCosta College Honors All Servicemembers
MiraCosta College recognizes the dedication and sacrifices of the brave individuals who have answered the Constitution’s call to “provide for the common defense.” We salute you! Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Today we honor all those who have served the country and thank them for their sacrifice. In observance of Veterans Day, MiraCosta College s will be closed on Friday, November 12.
Alum Pursued Education Throughout Service: Wayne Hall Spotlight
Veteran and MiraCosta College alum Wayne Hall exemplifies hard work and dedication.
Decades ago, Wayne was a high school graduate who had just moved to San Diego to start his first week of Marine Corps boot camp.
Growing up in Chicago, Wayne had always known he wanted to serve his country first and foremost. At the same time, he was committed to pursuing his degree any way possible.
“I always believed that education was a way to open doors in my life,” commented Wayne. “But I knew it had to be something I really wanted in order to make it happen.”
Shortly after starting boot camp, Wayne started searching for opportunities that would allow him to achieve both his dreams. Seeing that MiraCosta College was down the road, he decided to sign up for a general studies class.
“I knew I could stay on base and take satellite classes, but MiraCosta College allowed me to expand my network and my community,” recalled Wayne.
At MiraCosta College, Wayne was able to take classes alongside his fellow San Diegans, as well as other servicemembers and military spouses. As Wayne described it, the opportunity at MiraCosta College was the perfect merging of the community right outside the military base.
In the years that followed, Wayne would go on to take more classes while on active duty. He also met his wife, a fellow enlisted Marine, and the two would later welcome their first child.
“Pursuing a degree while starting a family and working in the military was certainly a challenge,” said Wayne. “It meant I had to manage my time meticulously.”
His commitment to higher education never wavered though. In fact, his achievements only grew.
Spurred on by his commanding officers, Wayne applied for and was accepted into the Meritorious Commissioning Program, a commissioning opportunity for enlisted Marines who have taken enough college courses and demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities. Upon completion, he transitioned from a noncommissioned officer to a commissioned officer. He also graduated from MiraCosta College with an associate’s degree and went on to get his bachelor’s and master’s in management/computer information systems and information systems, respectively.
Today, Wayne serves as an IT Project and Program Management professional and attributes much of his success to his diversity in experience decades earlier.
“There’s no straight path to where I am now,” noted Wayne. “But there’s no doubt that both my military service and degrees have opened doors that otherwise would not be available.”
