Muehlfelder accepted into UCSB honor societies

Trevor Muehlfelder has lived in Fallbrook off and on since he was in fourth grade. He is currently a sophomore at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and he was inducted into the national Phi Theta Kappa honor society for academic excellence March 9 and has also been accepted into the university’s Presidential Honor Society.

“It just took me a lot of hard work and constant studying,” Muehlfelder said. “I stuck to it.”

Muehlfelder attended North Broadway Elementary School in Escondido and Escondido Christian School, but also spent grade school time at Zion Lutheran before attending Potter Junior High School. He spent his first two years of high school at Monterey Bay Academy in Monterey before the inability to cover tuition costs returned him to Fallbrook’s public schools. Muehlfelder spent his junior year at Fallbrook High School before closing out his high school career at Ivy High School.

“I wanted to graduate early,” he said. “I went up to Ivy because they allowed me to graduate early.”

Muehlfelder achieved his early graduation objective, attaining his diploma in January 1999 while participating in the June 1999 ceremony. He spent a semester at Mira Costa College, but he had a full-time job at the Blockbuster Video in Fallbrook and left school to work.

Muehlfelder also worked as a dishwasher at the Wildwood restaurant, performed tile work, and was a heavy equipment operator. He lost his heavy equipment job after the recession which began in 2009, and he then started his own handyman service business in Fallbrook.

Muehlfelder began studying at UCSB in Fall 2010 and is a criminal justice major with an emphasis on criminology.

“I chose criminology because I’ve always been interested in people and profiling. I’ve always been interested in murder mysteries,” he said.

He has not yet chosen a minor, and will likely determine that as he takes subsequent courses which would count towards a minor requirement.

During his first quarter at UCSB, Muehlfelder received a “B” in his geology class. He has received an “A” in every other class and carried a 3.95 grade point average into the current quarter.

Muehlfelder hopes to obtain a job with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and his Phi Theta Kappa status will aid him not only in finding employment but also in advancing in his job. He will be assigned a mentor once he lands employment.

“I basically have a person who tutors me through doing everything on the job,” he said.

Muehlfelder expressed his gratitude to his family members and friends who helped support his return to college.

“I’m very happy that it’s paying off and I get to be a part of these societies and climbing the ladder to success,” Muehlfelder said.

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