Collette Gibson may have ventured out of the Santa Clarita Valley to pursue higher education, but along the way, she never lost sight of her roots right here at COC. After putting in the time and effort necessary to get to the top, she came full circle -- right back to the campus she started her journey on.

Gibson was initially a Communications major at COC when she first enrolled, but she quickly made the switch to Mathematics in her first semester (you could call it instinct). 

As a member of the first ever honors program at COC, Gibson graduated with flying colors before transferring to UCLA to achieve her undergrad and, eventually, her post-grad education in Mathematics. 

When she graduated, she entered into the workforce while it was at its trickiest -- hiring employers were difficult to come by, and as her heart started to change, she realized an old connection from COC might just have been what she needed to get her foot in the door in terms of her career.

After reaching out to a professor at COC, she learned of an open faculty position and went on to join the math department here at the college, where she’s been for over two decades now.

“I love to get in front of my classes and be entertaining,” she says. “It’s so great to have those enlightening moments where I can make math an enjoyable rather than a painful subject!”

At home, Gibson is still all about connections and closeness. She splits her time between outdoor activities with her two sons and planning for someday-travels with her husband in the future. 

Of course, being a mom is a full time job, which can make it tough to balance her work responsibilities and her household ones. Through meditation, casual exercise, and quality time with family, she manages to keep her head on straight -- something fairly impressive, considering how difficult it can be to juggle equations, formulas, and all the mom-duties that come with being a working parent.

Over the years, Gibson has formed countless good memories from her time at COC, both as a student and a faculty member. For now, she’s happy where she is, and coming full circle is what’s made her truly feel whole.