Oceanside Unified Employee Graduates in Ashford University's First San Diego Commencement

Ashford University’s fall 2014 online graduates come from 50 states and 10 countries, earning college degrees in a 24/7 higher learning culture unbound by geography and time zones.

Thousands of online students who earned their degrees together will meet face-to-face for the first time, don time-honored caps and gowns, and march to “Pomp and Circumstance” in the university’s first local commencement ceremonies being held on October 5 at the San Diego Convention Center. Although the university has a brick-and-mortar campus in Clinton, Iowa, more than 99 percent of its 61,000-plus worldwide students attend classes online.

More than 450 graduates in Ashford’s fall 2014 graduating class live in the San Diego area, including 28-year-old San Marcos resident and Oceanside Unified School District employee Andrea Lacuesta. Lacuesta is a single mother of two young boys ages 7 and 3 and works full-time as the assistant principal’s secretary at Oceanside High School.

Her children inspired her to pursue her dream of finishing college. “How can you teach your kids to value something if you aren’t yourself practicing it?” she said. “I want to show them that if mom can do this, so can they.”

Lacuesta’s position with Oceanside Unified provided her with a strong desire to support students’ behavioral, emotional, and educational growth. In 2013, her eldest son was diagnosed with ADHD, further propelling her interest in psychology.

She will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology, and she is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, which recognizes outstanding academic achievement, and Alpha Sigma Lambda, honoring those dedicated adult students who, while adroitly handling their life responsibilities, achieve and maintain high scholastic standards. After graduation, Lacuesta plans to pursue a master’s in educational psychology.

She decorated her graduation cap “Because of You” with photos of her boys because they are her inspiration.