MiraCosta College Alum Develops Skills for the Life of his Dreams

01/26/2022


When Broderick Higby took his first class at MiraCosta College, he was still deciding what his next step would be.

He had just left the Air Force and was excited about the prospect of building an app or starting his own company. But he also knew he needed to develop additional skills to accomplish his new goals.

“As a kid, I was into tech but it wasn’t until later that I developed my passion for building and creating things,” shared Broderick. “Once I started taking computer science classes at MiraCosta College, I knew I was on the right path.”

Thanks to the GI Bill, Broderick was able to dive into a variety of technology courses and ultimately found a love for artificial intelligence. In fact, he attributes much of that passion and his early success in the classroom to his experiences with MiraCosta educators like professors Nery Chapetón-Lamas and Zika Perovic.

“Once I got into the immersive environment at MiraCosta College, I was able to meet my potential as a student,” Broderick shared. “For me, MiraCosta was the perfect steppingstone to everything in my life that has followed.”

After completing his coursework at MiraCosta College, Broderick followed a childhood dream and enrolled at UC, San Diego where he majored in Cognitive Science, Machine Learning, and Neural Computation. He went on to create his own artificial intelligence app and even worked with faculty at UC, San Diego to turn his technology into a company. Today, he still works to grow his own technology and also serves as Lead Software Engineer for an artificial intelligence building company.

Broderick beamed, “Six years ago I was barely able to afford the insurance on my car and my rent, and now I’m financially secure and can handle whatever life throws at me.”

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