May is always my favorite time of the year. We get to see the fruits of our labor during commencement ceremonies for the Peralta Colleges. Heres a bit about our students highlighted in todays paper. Mirko Ranieri, a 22-year-old international student whose second language is English, is the Berkeley City College Presidents Award winner for 2014. Mirko, who will graduate with a business administration degree, has a unique story: While preparing for a professional soccer career in Italy, he was recruited at age 16 into the English Premier League. Each night after a full day of soccer practice, Mirko would study and was able to eventually earn his high school diploma. Then an accident halted his soccer career forever. The dream that took me out of my Italian home was shattered, he recalled. After extensive research, I learned that the Peralta Colleges, surrounded by the Bay Areas spirit of innovation, provided exactly what I was looking for. Even though he had no money for an education, he budgeted every penny and enrolled at Berkeley City College. While there, he founded the Business and Finance Club and was elected president of Phi Theta Kappa. Accepted by UC Berkeleys Haas School of Business, Mirko has also been admitted by Harvard and is waiting to hear from Stanford and Columbia! Thats a tough choice, Mirko, but we know youll choose wisely. Congratulations to all our graduates! mercurynews/ci_25762509/meet-peralta-colleges-outstanding-graduates
Posted on: Thu, 15 May 2014 19:01:26 +0000