It has been more than 20 years since Colleen Rose graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Algoma University College and began her career with the military. Now, decades later, her academic journey is coming full circle as she has been selected for sponsorship and will soon embark on Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Rose, who graduated in 1995, currently serves as the Comptroller at Royal Military College (RMC), an institution she intended on enrolling in as a student years ago. When asked why she chose Algoma University College, Rose responded, “I didn’t necessarily want to attend Algoma. I was enrolled in the military and went off to do my basic training in Chilliwack, BC, that summer”.
She continued, “I had applied to Algoma, Laurier and I think the University of Ottawa, and then I applied to RMC. I was going to go to RMC and I was intent on doing that. I went and did my basic training that summer, passed and then quit and came home and went to Algoma.”
Rose was very active in campus life. She served as an executive member of the Algoma University Students’ Association (AUSA) and was employed on campus.
“I started in first year and right away I worked with Cindi Elgie as an Assistant in the Liaison Office,” Rose recalled. “I applied to be in the reserves and it took me a full year and a bit to transfer into the reserves, so by the middle of second year I was going to school full time and I was working with the reserves part-time and I was also helping Cindi out.”
“In second year, I went down to four courses but I was still considered a full time student, so I knew right from the get-go that I was going to be there for a fifth year. It was my fifth year that Cindi went on maternity leave and I was hired full time to take over her responsibilities as the Liaison Officer.”
If it wasn’t for the flexibility and understanding of her professors, individuals like George Gekas, Pelham Matthews and Dave Galotta, it would have been an impossible feat for her to maintain her grades and uphold her various responsibilities.
“You really are noted as a person, not a number,” Rose acknowledged. “Whereas at larger universities, you’re just a number because you’re just one more student in their class, the small atmosphere at Algoma certainly lent itself to being more like a family environment.”
Rose had the chance to visit Algoma University several years ago and was “truly overwhelmed by the growth” she witnessed on campus. She was impressed by how far the institution had come, though she never questioned its potential.
Much to her surprise, Rose will have the opportunity to walk the halls of a university as a student once again. “I’m a Logistics Officer, so I’ve been trained in military supply, finance and transport, all of the logistical aspects of it and I never thought that I would go back to school to further my education at all,” she shared of her MBA sponsorship opportunity.
Though she expressed some apprehension about returning to school, Rose is confident that Algoma University provided a strong foundation for continued achievement in the MBA program and beyond, as she takes her already successful career to new heights.
Written by: Jessica Ferlaino
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