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Aidan Caitlin O'Leary

Aidan Caitlin O'Leary , a soon-to-be Cabrillo graduate, is committed to her education and pursuing a career in what she loves, Art History.

Aidan was born in Hawaii, but at young age, relocated with her family to California.  After graduating from high school, she accepted a job in San Francisco working at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, eager to help people in need. She decided that she would like to begin her pursuit of higher education and was impressed with what Cabrillo had to offer: a great location, affordable tuition, great programs and faculty, while still in close proximity to her family living in San Jose.  She was sold on Cabrillo.

This is Aidan's third year at Cabrillo, and she graduates this semester.  Aidan's course of study has been mostly General Education, with an emphasis in Art History. That is where her real passion lies.  Both her parents were artists and pursued Art History as a hobby. She recalls that their bookshelves were overloaded with books on that topic.  In her opinion, the most fascinating way to learn about a culture of people and their history is through their art. Over the years, Aidan has become fascinated with prehistoric and ancient art. In fact, she has a dream to one day run a museum that exhibits ancient or prehistoric artwork. She is on the right track. She has already been accepted into UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD, but hasn't yet decided which to select. But, she does know that she would like to receive a Ph.D. in an art or business related field of study.

This semester, at the Annual Community College Honors Research Symposium in Berkeley, Aidan received the Heslet Scholar Award for Best Student Presentation Proposal. It was the only award granted this year. Honors students from community colleges throughout the Bay Area were eligible to submit presentation proposals for the research that they had done in an honors class.  Aidan's presentation was voted the best.  In "Painting by Numbers - Sir John Herschel's Influence on 19th Century Art," she reflected upon Herschel's work as a an artist, astronomer, chemist, and mathematician, and focused on his interplay between science and art. 

As a member of the Honors Transfer Program at Cabrillo, Aidan has only commendations for the program. She is quite impressed with the class size, specialized attention, and caliber of the faculty that teach at Cabrillo. She has taken her studies very seriously, and has also received the Honors Scholar designation for her commitment in the program.  Aidan is excited about her next steps after Cabrillo.

Aidan's message to all current and prospective Cabrillo students:

"To be successful at Cabrillo, forge connections with the faculty, go to their office hours, and sit in the front row of class. This commitment will help improve your grades and enable your ability to transfer to wherever you like."

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