“I feel like this is a full-circle moment for me.”
For Christina Hart, MiraCosta College student now turned MiraCosta College instructor, the opportunity to teach students who are sitting in the same seat she once was is special.
More than 20 years ago, Christina was working at a local drug store in Oceanside when a coworker mentioned the MiraCosta College certified nursing program. Christina had recently finished her military service and was deciding what to do next.
“To be honest, I never thought in a million years I would ever go into anything medical or nursing related,” shared Christina. “But my coworker made it sound great and I knew it was something that could lead to other opportunities.”
Christina investigated a little further and within weeks, she had signed up to take the eight-week course.
Said Christina, “That decision was life changing.”
Despite not being strong in math and science, Christina found herself enjoying the learning environment that MiraCosta College provided. She used the on-campus tutoring services to help her improve her math skills and she relied on various study groups to maintain high grades.
“Nursing is a hard journey and took a lot of time and effort, but MiraCosta College gives students every opportunity to learn and succeed,” noted Christina. “Each of the professors have advanced degrees and decades of real-life experience to help students understand the subjects.”
Christina also pointed to the state-of-the-art resources and technology that helped her grow.
Soon after completing the nursing program, Christina went further by obtaining her master’s degree. Since then, she has been using all the knowledge she gained at MiraCosta College in her role as an emergency room nurse at Tri City Medical Center.
And now it’s time she gets to pay it forward.
This fall, Christina will switch to the front of the classroom as she begins a role as an instructor in the nursing program.
“To be able to teach students who are sitting in the same seat I was not too long ago is very special,” smiled Christina.
Just as Christina was able to learn from leaders in the field when she was a student, she will now get to share her decades of emergency room experience with brand new nursing students at MiraCosta College.