Rachel Meshigaud

Alumni

Bay College graduate Rachel Meshigaud majored in psychology during her time at Bay, but she ended up going into a different field entirely. While she now works as the marketing director for the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, Rachel said her experiences as a Bay student are still helping her today.

Rachel graduated from high school at Bark River-Harris Schools in 2003. That fall, she started taking classes at Bay.

“It was just close to home, and it’s a great start for getting your core education,” she said.

She had already gotten familiar with Bay when she was in high school.

“I had heard a lot about what they were offering, and we did tours of the college during high school. A lot of my friends went there, as well,” Rachel said.

While she was a student at Bay, Rachel focused on psychology. However, she eventually chose to switch career pathways.

“During some of my psychology classes, I realized that that wasn’t really my focus. And during classes like my interpersonal communication and computer courses, I realized I was more interested in the work environment behind that,” she said.

Because she made this decision when she was approaching the end of her time at Bay, Rachel did not change her major. Instead, she completed her psychology degree while taking electives related to communication and art.

When the winter 2006 semester ended, Rachel graduated with an associate degree in psychology. Then, she took a break from education to think about what she wanted to do with her future. She also worked full-time at the Island Resort and Casino gas station during this period.

In 2011, Rachel once again started taking college classes at ITT Technical Institute in Green Bay, WI. That year, she earned an associate degree in business administration; after that, she entered the school’s project management program and got a bachelor’s degree in 2013. She was able to earn these credentials quickly thanks to the work she had already done as a Bay student.

“My credits transferred from Bay, which expedited both of those degrees,” she said.

Rachel returned to the Upper Peninsula after getting her bachelor’s degree from ITT Tech.

“In the beginning of 2014, I saw a job opening at the Island Resort and Casino, and I started working as the event coordinator here,” she said.

Rachel accepted the position of convention manager at the Island Resort and Casino in 2016. In 2020, she successfully applied for the position of marketing director.

As the casino’s marketing director, Rachel said she has a wide variety of duties to juggle.

“I oversee the marketing budget, advertising and digital media, public relations, player services, group tours, and entertainment. It’s a huge job, but I have an amazing staff helping me,” Rachel said.

Rachel’s time at Bay played a crucial role in preparing her for her job today – especially from a networking perspective.

“It helped me get to know a lot of people within the community. I went to school with many of the people I’m working with now through other businesses,” she said.

She went on to say that her interpersonal communication, art, and computer classes at Bay helped her build a foundation of knowledge she still uses in the present day.

According to Rachel, Bay College is a great place for all kinds of college students to begin their higher education.

“I think that it’s a really good stepping stone for starting a great education, whether you decide to complete your degree at Bay or transfer to a larger college,” she said.