Maia Roll

Alumni

Since she graduated from Bay College a few years ago, Maia Roll has earned a bachelor’s degree from Lake Superior State University (LSSU).

Maia finished her K-12 education at Escanaba Senior High School in 2017. That fall, she started attending classes at Bay.

“Like most people, I really had no idea what to do or what direction I wanted to go into,” she said.

According to Maia, taking classes at Bay gave her a chance to explore her options while staying close to home.

“Bay proved to be an affordable choice, and it’s a convenient location,” she said.

During her time at Bay, Maia majored in Business Administration. She said studying at the college helped her develop her understanding of this field.

“I had a lot of classes and projects and students and teachers who helped push me – I learned a lot,” she said.

She also appreciated the resources Bay provides to its students. These resources include tutoring, counseling[BROKEN LINK], and a food pantry.

“It definitely felt like Bay wanted their students to succeed in and outside the classroom,” Maia said.

Along with working on her classes, Maia got involved with student organizations while she was studying at Bay. One of her most memorable experiences as a Bay student was her involvement with Business Professionals of America[BROKEN LINK] (BPA).

“BPA is a nationwide student organization that is helping students become prepared for the workforce,” she said.

Maia was heavily involved with BPA’s competitive elements.

“I have competed every year that I've been in college on the state and national level,” she said.

On the state level, Maia placed in the top three across various events. On the national level, she placed in the top 10 one year and in second place during another year.

Being a member of BPA helped Maia build valuable professional skills, she said.

“It definitely has proven to be very useful … I've enjoyed my time being a part of it,” she said.

Maia graduated from Bay in December 2018 with an associate degree in business administration. One month later, she continued her education at Lake State Superior University while staying in Delta County.

“I did LSSU’s Regional Center, which is right on Bay’s campus,” she said.

LSSU has provided undergraduate degree completion programs to Bay students since 1989. Thanks to the close partnership between Bay and LSSU, Maia said the process of transferring from Bay to LSSU went smoothly for her.

“All my advisors were super helpful – it really was very seamless,” she said.

After switching her major to business administration management, Maia graduated from LSSU last fall.

“In November of 2020, I finished my bachelor’s degree from LSSU – I am now done with my undergrad,” she said.

As of early 2021, Maia was weighing her next steps.

“I’m still trying to figure out what to do next,” she said.

In the meantime, Maia has returned to Bay and has begun working towards a second associate degree.

“I am currently in the Social Work program,” she said.