“I really learned from the Promise community at City,” Davila said. “It really informed my journey. And it really opened a lot of doors.”
Her story is exactly why the San Diego Community College District launched the San Diego Promise in 2016: to ensure that financial barriers do not prevent talented students from pursuing higher education and achieving their goals.
For the past decade, the program has done just that. Nearly 20,000 students have benefited from the Promise through the 2025-26 academic year, using its combination of tuition support, counseling, mentoring, and student services to earn degrees and certificates, transfer to four-year universities, and launch meaningful careers. Among them are a growing family of current students and alumni like Phoebe Truong, who transferred to UC Berkeley after serving as student body president at San Diego Mesa College, and Zeeshan Mohamedy, who credits the Promise with helping him discover a career path that ultimately led him to graduate studies in mechanical and mechatronics engineering in Canada.
From the 186-student pilot program, the Promise has grown into one of the region’s most influential student success initiatives. District data show participants consistently outperform their peers in key measures including unit completion, degree attainment, and campus engagement.
As enrollment has grown, so has the range of populations the program serves. Thanks to changes in state law and steadfast support from the philanthropic community, local residents, and SDCCD employees, the San Diego Promise is no longer limited to first-time, full-time students straight out of high school. Among the growing population of participants: former foster youth, veterans, and formerly incarcerated students; former San Diego College of Continuing Education students who weren’t recent high school graduates; and students who completed their first year but couldn’t attend full time in their second.
“One of the largest groups we’re seeing now is active-duty military, veterans, and military dependents,” said Andrew ‘Luke’ Menchaca, dean of Outreach and Student Affairs.
Menchaca also recounted a recent conference call with a group of adults eager to learn about the program. When he asked where they were calling from, they said they were incarcerated — a guard had told them about the San Diego Promise and arranged the call because they were due to be released within weeks. All of them applied, and all were accepted into the Promise after serving their time.
In recognition of the 10th anniversary of the San Diego Promise program, read on to learn more about the inspiring journeys of just a handful of our current and past San Diego Promise students.
JILLIAN FORTNER
- San Diego Miramar and City colleges alumna
- Associate of arts, communication and media studies and certificate of achievement, broadcast news
- San Diego Promise class: 2019
For Jillian Fortner, mornings look a little different now than when she was a student at San Diego Miramar and City colleges. Her alarm rings at 1 a.m. before heading to work at 2 a.m. She takes her place in front of a TV camera at KTVZ by 5 a.m. where she provides the residents of the Bend, Oregon, area with their morning weather.
Fortner, who entered Miramar College in 2019 as a San Diego Promise student after graduating from Classical Academy High School in Escondido, considers herself a lifelong learner. After receiving her associate of arts, communication and media studies in 2021, she continued her education at both UC San Diego and San Diego City College, the latter for which she was on the staff with CTTV/Newscene broadcast news — a role in which she earned a student Emmy in 2023. Now, she’s expanding her knowledge by working toward a Bachelor of Science in geoscience with a concentration in broadcast and operational meteorology from Mississippi State University.
Time spent in the San Diego Promise program was not typical for Fortner, who was only on campus at Miramar College for a few months before everything shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She recalls with fondness the unique commencement ceremony.
“It wasn’t what I expected graduation to look like, but it was still special,” she said. “We decorated the car, celebrated with family, and I genuinely felt recognized and appreciated.”
Fortner’s appreciation was mirrored in her reflections on the San Diego Promise program.
“The Promise felt like joining a community. It wasn’t just financial support. It was a built-in support system,” she said. “The Promise staff helped guide me through all of that. They were always supportive, welcoming, and encouraging. They made me excited to be part of the San Diego Community College District.”
In 2020, when asked how the San Diego Promise was setting her up for success, she said it was helping her transfer to her dream school of UCSD. Mission accomplished, and so much more.
SAMARA SEATON
- San Diego Mesa College alumna
- Studying Communication and Marketing (estimated graduation date: December 2026)
- San Diego Promise class: 2024
Samara Seaton was facing the same dilemma plenty of high school graduates confront when contemplating the debt needed to afford the rising costs of a university tuition, room, and board, as well as other associated expenses. She took her 4.2 high school GPA and enrolled at Mesa College instead, benefiting from the San Diego Promise, its wraparound student support services, and community building opportunities.
That was in the fall 2024. Now, she is set to graduate with associate degrees in communication and marketing in December 2026. She will join the junior class at Cal State Long Beach in the spring 2027. Her long-term plans: a dual Master of Business Administration/Juris Doctor program and her own business in the entertainment and media industry.
It’s a long way from her initial plans for an associate degree in bioengineering. The way Seaton sees it, changing majors at a four-year college or university could have been cost-prohibitive, pressuring her to continue along an unrewarding career path.
“The San Diego Promise allowed me to explore college without taking a gamble,” Seaton said. “It allowed me to move forward on my terms, to explore my interests without the financial pressures, and it help me find community through my involvement with Umoja, the honors club, and as a peer navigator.”
Born in Los Angeles and living with her family on the East Coast during her grammar school years, Seaton moved back to California when her mother, Janue Johnson-Seaton, was offered a position as an assistant professor and professional learning coordinator at the Mesa College LOFT program (Learning Opportunities for Transformation).
Seaton said she was an overachiever at San Diego High School, a straight-A student who served as co-captain of the dance team, and “was involved in every club.” Acceptance letters were sent to her from several University of California campuses. To many, it was a surprise she opted not to choose that route. But Mesa College and the San Diego Promise made too much sense.
“Don’t underestimate the power of a community college,” said Seaton. Or the benefits of the San Diego Promise.
“It was beautiful to be able to do something that bettered my future. It was beautiful to step into a safe space that is focused on accepting and uplifting you, while also encouraging and guiding you to take the next step.”
OBED MORALES BETANZO
- San Diego City College alumnus
- Associate of arts, child development
- San Diego Promise class: 2016
Obed Morales Betanzo has come full circle. Morales enrolled at City College in fall 2016 as part of the inaugural San Diego Promise cohort. Now — after earning an associate degree in child development from City College, and a bachelor’s degree in child and family development and master’s degree in education counseling from San Diego State University — he’s back at City College as an adjunct professor, determined to earn tenure at the school that helped change his life.
He credits the San Diego Promise for fueling his success.
“The program impacted me in many ways,” Morales said. “It was a first step and gave me the confidence to pursue my goals.”
He learned about the opportunity while in the Child Development program at San Diego College of Continuing Education, the adult-education division of the SDCCD.
He later used the San Diego Promise to support his transition to City College, where he was part of the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society. That was followed by undergraduate and graduate programs at SDSU where he participated in a study-abroad program in Kathmandu, Nepal, through the university’s College of Education.
Attending SDSU would not have been possible without the San Diego Promise.
“The guidance the Promise program provided was critical,” he said. “I wouldn’t have known anything about FAFSA, I wouldn’t have known anything about how to sign up for classes, I wouldn’t have known about any of these things you need to succeed in college.”
Morales has been passing on the knowledge he gained to a new generation of students. His work experience includes serving as an instructor at a San Diego charter school, a guest teacher for the South Bay Union School District, and an instructor of introductory courses at City College. He has also worked as an academic coach and lecturer at SDSU.
His future plans? “Education and giving back to the community,” Morales said. “Being part of the first San Diego Promise cohort and graduating from City have strengthened my commitment to supporting underserved demographics.”
PHILLIP KIST
- San Diego Miramar College alumnus
- Associate degree for transfer, mathematics
- San Diego Promise class: 2016
Phillip Kist made the most of the San Diego Promise, completing 18 units in his first semester as part of the program’s inaugural cohort in fall 2016. “They’re giving me an incredible opportunity, so I decided to do the best I could and stock up on classes,” he said at the time. “This program has helped a lot and provided the motivation to succeed.”
Indeed, it did. Kist, an alumnus of University City High School, took classes at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, earning an associate degree for transfer in mathematics from Miramar College in 2019 before transferring to San Diego State University. He landed a job as a junior civil engineer in New York while still an SDSU senior, then graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 2021. Three years later, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority hired him as a drainage engineer for the Metro-North Railroad, where he’s worked out of Grand Central Terminal for about 18 months.
He is an ardent advocate of the San Diego Promise.
“A lot of people focus on the money, but there were a lot of benefits that weren’t monetary: the connections, the support system, the ability to have a one-on-one with a school counselor. And they also had a mentor and outreach group that worked with us,” he said.
Kist tutored math part time at Miramar College and now mentors community college students near his home in Danbury, Connecticut.
“I don’t know if I’d be here without the Promise. If so, it certainly would have been more of a struggle. The communication and direction provided through the Promise helped me understand higher education,” said Kist, who passed on that insight to a brother who later earned a business finance degree from Cal State Los Angeles and now works for the County of Los Angeles.
“The Promise offered a really good start to growing up. It gave me the resources and allowed me to go to a smaller college where you could develop meaningful relationships with people who care about you,” he said. “You have smaller classes taught by professionals in their field, whose primary focus is teaching. It also let me stay home with my parents while going to college instead of spending money on rent and food.”
PHOEBE TRUONG
- San Diego Mesa College alumna
- Associate degree for transfer, sociology
- San Diego Promise class: 2021
When a family emergency kept Phoebe Truong from attending UC Santa Cruz after graduating from University City High School, the San Diego Promise provided her with a pathway to a future even more rewarding than she had previously imagined.
Mesa College was just a few minutes from her home, and virtually everyone else in her immediate family had gone there. The Promise program’s dedicated counselors, required orientations, and help in creating an educational plan made the last-minute decision to enroll at the family alma mater almost seamless.
“It was an uncomplicated process,” Truong said. “The Promise also made it possible for me to attend college without worrying about the financial aspect. I don’t think I would have — at least not right away — been able to continue my educational journey without the Promise.”
At Mesa College, Truong found work as an Outreach ambassador and administrative assistant in the Honors Program. She was elected Associated Students president, a position that led to an appointment as a student representative on the SDCCD’s Board of Trustees, as well as opportunities to take part in the Community College League of California’s Annual Legislative Conference in Sacramento and the Association of Community College Trustees’ National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C.
Graduating with an associate degree for transfer in sociology from Mesa College in 2023, Truong continued her studies at UC Berkeley. There, she remained active in student and campus affairs, working with the Transfer Student Center to help transfer students like herself navigate the academic and cultural landscape at one of the top research universities in the world. Other opportunities included interning at the UC Berkeley Basic Needs Center.
Truong graduated from Berkeley in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in society and environment
and a minor in public policy. She’s currently living in San Francisco and working
remotely for a San
Diego-based accounting firm while exploring law school or a similar postgraduate program
for a career in public service. A return to San Diego in a professional role with
Mesa College is not out of the question.
“When you reduce all these barriers to accessing higher education, you’re opening the doors to so many people from so many populations who otherwise might not have an opportunity,” said Truong. “The Promise really is making a difference.”
ZEESHAN MOHAMEDY
- San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges
- Completed 48 units in one year before transferring to UC San Diego
- San Diego Promise class: 2018
When academic standout Zeeshan Mohamedy used the San Diego Promise to enroll at the San Diego Community College District in 2018, his story inspired a community.
As Mohamedy explains it, Westview High School — his alma mater — is often ranked among the region’s top academic performers. The competition for acceptance into the finest universities can be fierce, particularly for a first-generation American in the local Pakistani community. When he opted for classes at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges instead, it raised more than a few eyebrows.
“Word got around,” Mohamedy said. “Not everyone was happy. But it inspired a lot of younger kids to go to a community college, too.”
Which only makes sense.
“At the Poway and San Dieguito high school districts, the pressure can be ridiculous,” Mohamedy said. “You have to take up to a dozen or more AP classes to get into some of the schools you feel like you need to get into. Then there’s the financial aspect: why pay for something when you don’t have to?”
Not that Mohamedy was an academic slouch. He wrapped up his prerequisites to transfer to UC San Diego within a year by taking 10 units in the summer, 23 in the fall, nine during winter intersession, and 15 in spring — most of which were taken at Mesa College. At UCSD, Mohamedy majored in cognitive science, with a specialization in machine learning and neural computation. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2021.
He went on to work as an AI model trainer, but company cutbacks in the rapidly evolving field led him to consulting work and launching a marketing company. A stint with an AI robotics company in 2026 sparked a passion for that field, leading Mohamedy to enroll in a graduate program in mechanical and mechatronics engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, home to a highly renowned Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering.
As he looks back on his journey, Mohamedy is more certain than ever about the higher education path he chose through the Promise. “Having the opportunity to go to a community college and have the freedom to change tracks, while also getting ahead, helped me discover what I really wanted to do.”
JERUSALEN DAVILA
- San Diego City College alumna
- Associate of arts, sociology
- San Diego Promise class: 2017
Jerusalen Davila is paying it forward.
Born in Ixtlahuaca de Rayón, near Mexico City, and raised in a low-income household in City Heights, Davila wasn’t expecting to go to college right out of high school. But at City College, the San Diego Promise gave her something more than free tuition — it gave her a foothold.
“The San Diego Promise gave me the financial security and the mentors I needed,” said Davila, a Hoover High School graduate. “When I got to City, there were people who were willing to help me, there were spaces that welcomed me. I felt welcomed. I had a support system in place already, and I had individuals I could reach out to.”
She threw herself into that support system, joining the Puente Project, EOPS, First Year Services, and the Dreamer Resource Center. She joined City College’s Honors Program and made the Dean’s List all three years she attended. That foundation carried her far. After earning an associate degree in sociology, Davila transferred to UC Berkeley for a bachelor’s degree in Chicano/Chicana Studies and is now a second-year doctoral student at UCLA on a full-ride scholarship.
Now 27 and living in Culver City, Davila is turning her own experience into a career built around helping others navigate the path she once walked. As a graduate researcher, she works with high school students in Koreatown and South Los Angeles on the finer points of college applications, and she mentors undergraduates at UCLA. She hopes to build a career in academia — and hasn’t ruled out one day returning to teach, or becoming an administrator, at City College. In the meantime, she’s taken part in more than a dozen conference presentations focusing on her research into the challenges facing undocumented students. Her focus includes undocumented college students, Latine college students, community colleges, transfer students, and college access.
A decade after first stepping onto City College's downtown campus, Davila said the San Diego Promise still shapes how she sees herself and her work.
“The Promise has been a part of me for 10 years now,” she said.