Chasing Her Interior Dreams
“I love a good challenge,” says Mia Carreto. That spirit has defined this firstgen interior architecture student’s arc and journey.
She was raised by her single mom — a hard-working Guatemalan immigrant who juggled several jobs at a time. By age 12, Mia was cleaning homes and offices alongside her mother.
She channeled her creative energies into extra income — selling handmade bracelets, beaded crafts, doodle art, and baked goods to neighbors. An honors student at Birmingham Community Charter High School, Mia graduated with a 4.2 GPA while competing on the wrestling team and, as a peer counselor, helping classmates with the college admissions process.
Mia was admitted to nine universities; she chose to enroll in landscape architecture at UC Davis. But three weeks into a summer pre-college bridge program, she knew the rural campus was not the right fit. A friend pointed Mia to SMC’s interior architectural design program, where she’s thrived ever since. As a commuter student traveling an hour each way, Mia still maintained a 4.0 GPA while continuing to help in the family cleaning business. She was part of the SMC design team that achieved a historic third-place win at a national competition organized by the National Organization of Minority Architects.
This fall, Mia will transfer to Woodbury University — her top choice — to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in interior design and a minor in architecture. Her message to fellow Corsairs: Push yourself to do more. [You] can go way beyond what you think is the limit.