Oceanside CA— MiraCosta College graduate Ian Rigby, 21, is among 56 outstanding UCLA students to receive the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) Scholarship for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Selection as a TAP Scholar entitles transfer students to a renewable academic scholarship of at least $5,000 per year. Rigby also received the UCLA Alumni Scholarship worth $2,000 per year, which is renewable for two years.
“It’s a real struggle for many students to be able to come up with money to pay for school,” said Rigby. “Receiving these two amazing scholarships will help me focus on my studies. I ‘m happy and feel very blessed… it’s a miracle.”
Rigby was homeschooled from preschool and had never stepped onto a school campus until the first day of fall classes in 2011. Rigby concurrently enrolled in credit classes to complete general education classes and MiraCosta College’s AHS (Adult High School) program.
In 2015, Rigby earned both a high school diploma and an associate degree.
“Ian is that rare student who sees what education is really about and is capable of making meaningful contributions to any learning environment,” said Christopher Sleeper, history professor and coordinator of the MiraCosta College Honors Scholar Program.
Rigby will start his studies in UCLA in fall 2015 and hopes to be a professor and researcher in the field of neurolinguistics.