"I got the tassel at Columbia State," says accelerated business management alumnae and Williamson County resident Beatriz Paoletta.
“I can say that getting my education, was the best thing I have ever done. All of those business classes that I took at Columbia State were worth it. My family is very proud of me and I am, too,” she adds.
Paoletta, an adult student originally from Lima, Peru, came to the United States in February of 1994, to work as a nanny for an American family. She didn’t speak any English. In 1995, she started to attend ESL classes, and later GED courses. Her goal was to get an education and learn as much as she could about managing a business. After getting her GED, she registered at Columbia State for our Accelerated Business Management program while cleaning houses for a living.
After receiving her Associate of Applied Science degree via Columbia State’s Accelerated Business Management program – and finishing with a 3.0 GPA, she now has two small businesses in Williamson County. One is called Angelina’s Consulting Services and the other is Angelina’s Cleaning Services. The consulting business offers Professional Interpretation and Translation Services in English and Spanish languages, accounting services, Individual and business tax report, payroll and helping the Hispanic community in filing immigration forms. The cleaning business offers residential cleaning service in the community of Westhaven.
Through a partnership with Trevecca Nazarene University, students like Beatriz can also use their Columbia State credits to earn a Bachelor’s degree.