Rosalie Nicosia
Nothing could have prepared Rosalie Nicosia, or anyone else for that matter, for the events of September 11, 2001. But as she descended the stairs, along with hundreds of others escaping the Twin Towers, she came to a realization. “It became clear to me that life is too short not to follow your dreams,” she said.
During the next two years, after eighteen years in the securities industry, she left her position at Morgan Stanley to join a colleague who had just started a small brokerage house, and they still work together today to run what has become a $38 million business with 65 employees.
“Every day is different, every day requires something new, and I continuously use the concepts I learned at Blue Ridge Community College. I am now completely satisfied in my career,” Rosalie said of her position as Chief Operating Officer for Whitaker Securities.
Rosalie’s Blue Ridge journey began as a “25-year-old freshman” after watching her older sister’s success in the transfer program. A highly motivated student, Rosalie credits BRCC’s attentive faculty and staff for helping her achieve her career goals. “From the very beginning, I reached out to everyone at the college. They were very invested in my education and were easily the biggest supporters of my goal.”
As a motivational guest speaker at the annual Career Expo, Rosalie continues to give back to the college that was so supportive of her pursuit of higher learning. Her success and dedication are inspiring to students. She has this advice for new students: “Don’t be intimidated by the college curriculum, and when your studies get challenging, don’t give up. BRCC is dedicated to giving you the resources to meet your goals. Out in the corporate world, you will frequently run into co-workers and managers who are not eager to share their wisdom and experience with you, but at BRCC, you will find professors with valuable life experience, who areready, willing and absolutely eager to share with you what they know.”
While pursuing her master’s degree, Rosalie learned that she could always come “home” to Blue Ridge for continued assistance of her academic studies. She recalled, “Family circumstances required me to be in Virginia just as I was completing my honors Master’s thesis. I needed a special statistical program to complete an analysis, and BRCC had the program. I called BRCC and asked if I could use the facilities of the college. Within hours, I was not only afforded access to the program, but I was set up with workspace to complete my assignment. That is the true spirit of BRCC; once a student, you are always welcome.”
