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Located on the Vide Boutielle Highway, Monroe College’s St. Lucia campus offers a practical education designed to give students a competitive edge in the workplace.

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    Anna Macsai

    When Anna Macsai arrived in the US, high school diploma in hand, she wasn’t sure what to do with her life. The Hungarian native began working as a cook, but her drive and ambition led her to quickly move up in her company’s operations department, where she met someone who changed her life: a freelance bookkeeper who recognized her talent for numbers. She taught Anna some of the basics, and brought her on as a staff accountant. Not content to stop there, Anna soon became an accounting manager at helicopter rental company Wings Air, despite having no formal accounting education.

    The same drive and ambition brought Anna to Monroe. “I always wanted to earn my Bachelor’s,” she says. “For any position where you can make good money, and which has potential for growth and fun, you need a Bachelor’s.” She began attending college full time in 2010, while also working full time at Wings Air. It was hard work; she spent every night and weekend doing homework. But Anna feels that Monroe made that load bearable for her as a working student. “I always thought the academic requirements at Monroe were realistic and tailored to working adults. It was hard at times, but not impossible, even when I was working full time and learning full time.”

    As she learned more from her accounting classes, Anna gained more and more responsibility at work. “I was able to earn a higher salary, but also I gained more responsibility once I had more knowledge, more understanding of the theory behind running a business.” Anna is now the Director of Finance and Marketing at Wings Air, something she credits in part to her time at Monroe. “The reality of it is that now I am able to make decisions without my boss being around. I get to effectively run the company in his absence, based on the knowledge that I gained at Monroe and from my experience in life.” Anna sees herself continuing to grow in her role in the company in the future, gaining even more responsibility. “I am happy with what we’ve accomplished, and where I am now, but I’m always looking to remain competitive and creative.”

    For students considering whether or not to pursue a Bachelor’s, Anna has one piece of advice: “Just pull through. A Bachelor’s degree is almost a given these days; you have to have it if you want the kind of job where you grow over time. So don’t stop; get it done.”