I was born and raised in Redding, attended Grant School, and graduated from Shasta High School. Rather than go straight to a four-year university, my parents encouraged me to attend Shasta College to explore my career options in an affordable atmosphere. I was able to pay for all of my Shasta College expenses with scholarships. This, together with a lot of help from my parents, allowed me to eventually graduate from a four-year university with very minimal student debt.
During my two years at Shasta College, I explored subjects I was interested in and identified those that did not excite me. This helped me better realize what I truly wanted to do for a career, and I was able to complete nearly all of the lower division courses I needed to transfer. I cannot overstate the benefit of Shasta College’s small class sizes, particularly for the more challenging engineering classes I took.
I received my associate of arts from Shasta College and ultimately graduated from UC Davis with a dual bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. After working at a land development firm in the Bay Area, I moved back to Redding, where I work for PACE Engineering, Inc. as a Senior Civil Engineer.
I attribute much of my career success to the solid foundation I received by attending Shasta College. I highly encourage all students to consider Shasta, not only for the affordability aspect but also for the wide range of class offerings and one-on-one personal assistance available from faculty and staff.
Laurie
Shasta College Knight