Dr. Lelia Safaralian, chair of the Math Department at MiraCosta College, has been selected to receive the California Community Colleges Hayward Award for Excellence in Education, the latest in a long line of honors she has received for her work helping students to succeed in math.

Dr. Safaralian was selected for the award by representatives of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The award, named in honor of former California Community Colleges Chancellor Gerald C. Hayward, is presented annually to celebrate outstanding community college faculty members' commitment to their students, college, and profession.

Dr. Safaralian has been at MiraCosta College since 2002 and has been chair of the Math Department for seven years. She thanked her colleagues at MiraCosta, especially those in the Math Department, who she said had guided and encouraged her through the years.

“This achievement is a reflection of the support, knowledge, and inspiration I have received from so many, and I am profoundly grateful,” she said. “Thank you all for being part of this journey.”

Dr. Safaralian grew up in Iran and earned a bachelor's degree in economics there. When she immigrated to the United States, she took a math class at Palomar College and was asked to work as a math tutor. She enjoyed it so much that she decided she wanted to be a math teacher.

In her years at MiraCosta College, Dr. Safaralian has worked to help students learn to love math as much as she does. In 2014, she and others created a weeklong, pre-semester boot camp called Bridge to Success in Math so that students could get a refresher course in math concepts and do better on math placement tests.

The program was a success, with almost all students getting higher scores on placement tests. The program ended in 2019 after state policies changed and placement tests were no longer required.

Her work on that program and her efforts to make math more welcoming resulted in numerous awards. In 2024, she was honored as the MiraCosta College Faculty Woman of the Year by the San Diego Chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges. MiraCosta College honored her in 2023 with the Leon Baradat Award for “demonstrated excellence beyond the classroom or primary work site in fostering engagement and creating a positive and inclusive campus climate through institutional service.”

She was one of the recipients of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Community College Association Region Equity Champion Award in 2019, and the Bridge to Success Program received an honorable mention for the 2018 Exemplary Program from the California Community College Board of Governors.

Dr. Safaralian explains she enjoys teaching her students new concepts and helping them see the importance of math in critical thinking and problem- solving.

"When you are teaching, you are not just transferring knowledge—you are shaping minds, inspiring curiosity, and empowering students to see the world through a mathematical lens," she said. "Teaching is incredibly powerful because it goes beyond explaining concepts; it fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and resilience. It is especially rewarding when you witness students grasp complex ideas, gain confidence in their abilities, and apply what they have learned to real-world situations. Knowing that you have played a role in their educational journey and future success is what makes teaching so impactful and fulfilling."