Southwestern College (California)

History

The school opened as Southwestern Junior College in 1961 with William Kepley as its president. The dean of admissions was Saxon Wright. The Chula Vista Star-News reported that 15 students had registered within the first half hour the dean of admission's office was open, with Oliver Pittenger, a graduate of the nearby Chula Vista High School being the first person to enroll.

In 2022–2023, enrollment exceeded 25,000 students across all campuses.

Academics

The campus is a feeder school for students hoping to transfer to the two local public universities, the University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, and also private institutions.

In 2021, Southwestern was chosen as one of the eight campuses in the state to offer a "competency-based" associate's degree program without the need for grades or mandatory attendance on the student's part. Southwestern chose auto tech to be the degree they offer under this program.

Specialty programs

In August 2025, Southwestern College partnered with the Sweetwater Union High School District to establish the Options Middle College High School (OMCHS), a WASC-accredited public high school located on the Southwestern College campus in Chula Vista. With an inaugural class of 55 students in grades 11–12. It is the first high school in the South Bay region to be located on a college campus. The program allows students to earn college credit from Southwestern College while completing their high school diploma.

Athletics

Southwestern College is a founding member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAC) and competes in 11 intercollegiate sports, including:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Southwestern Jaguars football
• Cross country
• Soccer
• Softball
• Tennis
• Track and field
• Water polo
• Volleyball
• Swimming and diving

The college's athletic teams are known as the Jaguars. From 1961 until 2001, the teams were represented by the Apaches mascot.

Southwestern College's football stadium also serves as the home field for Bonita Vista High School football games.

Facilities

The campus features a variety of athletic facilities, including:

• Artificial turf football field
• Half-size artificial turf practice field
• Baseball stadium
• Dirt running track
• Soccer field
• Softball field
• Football stadium with weight room overlooking the field
• Indoor swimming pool
• Basketball gymnasium
• Five full-size tennis courts

Many of these facilities are also utilized during the week and weekends as youth soccer fields for players aged 6–18.

Notable alumni

• Mike Banks, law enforcement officer
• Brian Bilbray, former Congressman
• Marshall Boze, professional baseball player
• Scott Byers, professional football player
• Ammar Campa-Najjar (born 1989), Democratic politician
• Vinny Curran, actor
• Fernando A. Fisher, short film director
• John Fox, professional football coach
• Kevin Ginkel, professional baseball player
• John Jaso, professional baseball player
• Dan La Botz, Socialist activist/politician, historian, labor leader
• Marco Morales, professional football player
• Bianca Mora,professional soccer player
• Jorge Munoz, professional football player
• Dominik Mysterio, professional wrestler
• Ogemdi Nwagbuo, professional football player
• Ookay, singer and DJ
• Rafael Peralta, Navy Cross recipient
• Luis Perez, XFL quarterback
• Steve Pierce, professional football player
• Travis Taijeron, professional baseball player
• Oliver Ross, professional football player
• J. Michael Straczynski, writer and television producer
• Julieta Venegas, singer
• , photographer
• Tom Waits, singer, songwriter, musician
• Drew Westling, football coach and former player

Notable staff

• Claude Gilbert (1966) Head football coach
• Bob Mears (1976–1989) Head football coach
• Ed Carberry (2007–2021) Head football coach
• Oscar Rodriguez (2024–present) Head football coach
• Drew Westling football coach
• Philam Garcia, head sprinting coach

References

References

1. (July 6, 1961). "Southwestern's First". Chula Vista Star-News <!--.
2. "California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office - Data Mart".
3. "Accreditation".
4. (July 13, 1961). "Kepley Will Speak at Lions Club". Chula Vista Star-News.
5. Frias, Amber. (2023-09-18). "No grades? No attendance? No problem. Southwestern College tests new associate degrees".
6. "Options Middle College High School: A Pathway to Academic Success in Sweetwater – Sweetwater Union High School District".
7. Shaheen, Perla. (2025-08-13). "High school opens on Southwestern College campus, offers college courses".
8. "South Bay students earning high school diploma and college credit without AP exams".
9. Nahill, Jeff. (April 29, 1982). "Southwestern sports are moving". [[The Star-News (Chula Vista, California).