By Juri Dagio | Staff Writer

Maria Acosta is a 19-year-old pre-nursing major who is from Angeles City, Pampanga in the Philippines. Along with her whole family, she moved to Hawai’i in 2014 in search of a better life and more opportunities.

It is Acosta’s dream to be a physician.

“I’ve always been interested in emergency medicine,” she said. “I want to do my pre-nursing here [at KCC], to kick start into bachelor’s degree.”

Similar to many students who are attending KCC, Acosta does not intend to follow the traditional college path.

“I want to get as much credit as I can before transferring to a university,” Acosta said. “I heard that KCC has a really good medical program.”

Since Acosta has been in Hawai’i for nine years, she fell in love with the island’s diversity, the cuisine, and the beaches.

“I like Kailua, Lanikai, and Waimea Bay,” she said. “That’s my go to.”