Olga Nelly Rosas enrolled at Texas Southmost College as a non-traditional student in the Accounting Technology program, and the experience eventually led her to find a full-time position as a Payroll Specialist for TSC, illustrating that a college education and success go hand-in-hand. Photo by Esteban Del Angel / Texas Southmost College.

Nearly every student who embarks upon a journey into higher education does so, hoping to graduate and find a fulfilling career afterward. The search for a career can be a separate journey, but the distance between college and career is often closer than some may think.

That is the case for Olga Nelly Rosas, a Texas Southmost College graduate who now applies the skills she learned in the classroom for the college as a Payroll Specialist at her alma mater.  

Rosas’ story began here in our local area. “I was born here [Brownsville, Texas], but I lived in Tamaulipas and studied there until high school,” said Rosas. “At 16, my parents sent me to a boarding school in Texas, and after that, I studied to be a Computer Accounting Specialist, but I got married, and I only had sporadic work afterward.”

Though Rosas put her educational pursuits on pause to devote herself to her new family, life has a way of introducing unexpected turns, and one turn, in particular, put Rosas in a position to reevaluate both her educational and long-term career opportunities.

“After 22 years, I got divorced, and I wanted to work, but my son told me that if I wanted to find anything, I had to return to college,” said Rosas.

This decision led Rosas to Texas Southmost College, partly thanks to her son. “He brought me to Texas Southmost College because he was studying here at that time, and he helped me to enroll in my classes,” Rosas recalled.  “He came with me on my first day of class because he wanted to make sure I would be okay, just like I did with him for his first day of kindergarten.”

Upon enrolling at TSC, Rosas determined that the Accounting Technology program would be a good fit and open doors for future career opportunities. That decision brought her under the tutelage of Magdalena Solis, Program Director and Texas Southmost Colleges’ Accounting Technology Program instructor.

While she struggled at first, Solis’ encouragement ended up making a difference for Rosas in the long run.  “When she started the program, Ms. Rosas was quiet and reserved, like most other students, and kept to herself,” Solis recalled. “However, as time progressed, and she took other classes, she became more engaged with classmates and gained self-confidence in her work.”

Rosas was candid about her early difficulties with the course. “I remember talking to Mrs. Solis and confessing that I was struggling,” she said.

However, she also remembers the sincere support that she received from her instructor. “Ms. Solis looked at me and said, ‘You can do it, just keep practicing.’  She believed in me more than I believed in myself.”

The Accounting Technology program is designed so that students not only learn the skills they will need for work in accounting and related fields but also help them network and open doors for future opportunities through integrated internships as part of the program’s curriculum.

“The Accounting Technology program’s internship class allows students to engage with potential employers. In the internship class, students are placed with an employer as a volunteer to practice what they have learned in the classroom,” said Solis.

This crucial element for Rosas would inextricably build the bridge between her educational pathway and her future career. “In the case of Ms. Rosas, her internship was here at TSC,” said Solis. “She excelled as a student intern and eventually applied for a full-time position. She has made progress in her career.”

What makes this more remarkable is that, for Rosas, it was the fulfillment of a quiet goal she had set for herself during her earliest days as a student.

“During my first semester, I was on the second floor in Tandy Hall and passed by an empty office. At that time, the offices were empty, but I peeked inside and thought, ‘I’d like to work in a place like that someday,’” began Rosas. “I feel proud of myself; after over 20 years, I returned to college, graduated with honors, and ended up working in that exact same office; I never expected that.”

For Solis, it’s a success story that illustrates that a college education can open doors for future careers, but beyond that, it’s also a joy to see a former student go on to achieve great things for themselves.

“Ms. Rosas was an excellent student, and through her determination and self-confidence she has excelled. My congratulations to Ms. Rosas and the progress she has made in her career.”