Rae-Ann, A Campus Director Like No Other

Rae-Ann’s life experiences, as well as her ability to help and relate to her staff and students has made her the great Campus Director that she is today.

Her journey to becoming a Campus Director started after a work injury, which resulted in a year of recuperation. After the year passed, unfortunately, the decision was made that she would not be able to go back to work. The Workplace Safety & Insurance Board put her through retraining, and, after careful research, she joined the Toronto Business School where she obtained her Business Administration Diploma. Soon after, she joined Anderson College (previously National Academy) as an Admissions Representative. “That was when my career in a Private Career College started. It truly changed my life, so talking about it with other people comes very naturally to me, as I know it works,” she explained.

Her role at the time was to help establish the Mississauga campus, which had just opened, and also to support the build of the Hamilton campus. Once the Hamilton campus was established in 2010, Rae-Ann then became the Campus Director. As the campus was new and developing she wore many hats, including being the Campus Director, Financial Aid Officer and Admission Representative. Later on, Rae-Ann was able to fully step into the Campus Director role and continued to grow the campus.

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Her transition into a Campus Director and her experience in various roles within the organization helped her to oversee the staff and relate to the students. She added, “I believe in Anderson College so much because it worked for me and I’ve seen it work for others, including my team.” The Hamilton Campus team is special as it includes Karen (you can read her story here) and Deborah, both of whom used to be students at the Hamilton campus and are now part of the team as Admissions Advisors. Nicole, who is currently on maternity leave, also joined the team. Rae-Ann recalls, “I saw what her strengths were straight away and so I brought her into the Financial Aid Department”.

Having a strong team has played a great role in making the Hamilton campus what it is today. “It’s all about encouragement, positive feedback, and just providing support,” said Rae-Ann. Their life experiences and great teamwork allows the campus to operate smoothly and to offer strong support to students. Rae-Ann explained that, “This team, especially in Hamilton, is a real unit. A lot of us have been together for a long time and the teachers are always helping each other. I’m so proud of all of them.”

Rae-Ann’s experience through her retraining gave her the unique ability to see each and every single person’s potential, which has been a strength in helping struggling students. “I understand their struggle, because of my experience of going back to school. I had a lot going on in my personal life. I became a single mom of 4 kids while going to school, so I understand their challenges,” she said. Her experience is what makes a difference, as students know that she will go above and beyond to help them.

“I understand that every student’s life and story is unique and therefore this needs to be taken into account when any decisions are being made,” she said. The support of Rae-Ann and her team has helped many students believe in themselves and shown them that they can achieve their dreams.