MiraCosta College is a public community college in San Diego County with two campuses in Oceanside, plus a campus in San Elijo and a Technology Career Institute in Carlsbad.

The college has announced that it will award a $1,000 scholarship annually to a student who identifies as transgender or is actively involved with the transgender community.

Funds for the scholarship have been raised by the GSA Student Club since 2015.

The Trans* Pride Scholarship was created by a coalition of students, faculty, and staff who say they were concerned with the traditional and historic barriers in place within higher education that excludes members of the transgender community.

Anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression is welcome to attend or work for MiraCosta College.

Scholarships and visible support for members of this at-risk community are critical right now as states like Indiana and North Carolina and highly visible government officials are disavowing the civil rights of transgender people under the auspices of religious freedom.

--Steven Deineh, GSA Faculty Co-Adviser

MiraCosta believes itself to be the first college in the US to provide a scholarship targetting members of the transgender community.