As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Michelle Rosemond would sometimes accompany her father — who was born in Haiti — to his evening college classes.
“Dad was an adult learner,” recalls Rosemond, whose research focuses on organizational and student development in higher education. “I would leave that experience thinking, ‘Hell, I’m going to college.’”
Even though Rosemond’s parents would later relocate the family from New York to Florida, they always emphasized the importance of education, eventually enrolling their daughter in a school where she did well.
However, after Rosemond applied and was rejected from the University of Florida six times, she finally mustered the courage to phone the admissions office at the school to seek answers.
“I want to know why you rejected me,” she recalls asking an admissions counselor, who took the time to reexamine her application file and suggested that she take the ACT instead of the SAT and then advocated for her to be admitted to the university as a bridge student in the summer of 1987.
“That changed the game tremendously,” says Rosemond. “It was the first time I felt like I had the chance to develop.”
After working for more than two decades in higher education, Rosemond has become a staunch and unwavering advocate for students — particularly those who could benefit from some additional guidance and support.
