Business Administration A.A.
Business Administration A.A.
Ryan Colomy '14
“Regardless of the hand life deals us, we all have an opportunity to create our own path to success and happiness. It does not matter where you start, it just matters that you finish.”
For first-generation graduate Ryan Colomy, college was not on his radar growing up. He had attended Bucks County Technical High School with plans to work as a carpenter after graduation. However, seeing the physical toll work in that industry had on his father, he decided college would be a better option for him.
“Not many people in my family graduated high school let alone attended college. As a first-generation college graduate, I didn’t have anyone in my life to help me navigate the complex and intimidating process of applying to college. Bucks was the obvious choice for me because it was local and it was the only affordable option, and I had a goal of financing my education with no student loans. I was eligible for Pell Grants to attend Bucks for an amount I could afford on my own. I worked full-time in retail every day after class to save enough money to pay for my education. Attending Bucks was the best decision I made during my college years because it enabled me to receive the same education as my peers in university, tackling general education courses for a fraction of the cost.”
Ryan is thankful for lessons he learned at Bucks that extend well beyond the classroom.
“Bucks helped me build the discipline needed to focus on coursework and helped lay the groundwork for me to start my career. It’s where I implemented the discipline needed in my life to save for important goals, including my education, and I am grateful to say I became the first in my family to graduate college and did it without student loans. My experience at Bucks taught me that, regardless of the hand life deals us, we all have an opportunity to create our own path to success and happiness.”
After graduating from Bucks with his associate degree in 2014, that path led Ryan to Temple University Fox School of Business, where he graduated in 2016 with a BBA in Human Resources (HR) Management and a minor in Legal Studies. In 2021, he earned his MBA from LaSalle University, attending evening classes while working full-time in his current role as Manager, HR Business Partner, for the global law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, headquartered in Philadelphia.
“My job is to oversee all aspects of HR for specific business units at the firm. I work as a strategic partner to the leaders of these teams, helping to implement strategies that attract and retain the most talented people possible. My Bucks courses introduced me to all the fundamental areas of business, including marketing, HR, communications, strategy, accounting, and finance. HR stood out to me as a career because I learned that, without the right people to implement it, even the best idea in the world won’t be successful. HR gives me an opportunity to help my company be successful, and I really enjoy the work I do.”
Ryan offers some excellent advice for current students who may be struggling with their path forward.
“We have all been there. The things we do each day at school or in life may seem insignificant at the time, and it may feel like no progress is being made. I learned it is the small things we do consistently that end up making the biggest differences in the long-term. The thing that worked for me was to break my educational journey into sections; those sections represented small victories, taking each assignment or class project one at a time. Each small victory builds confidence. Eventually, those small victories compounded together result in you reaching the finish line. Consistency is key; stay in the fight and use the resources available to you to put the odds in your favor. It is true that some people get a head start in life through various advantages that others don’t have, and life isn’t fair. The great equalizer, in my opinion, is that we all have the choice to build the determination necessary to succeed. It does not matter where you start, it just matters that you finish, and we can all do that. I have profound gratitude and appreciation that I got where I am because I did it on my own. The feeling on the other side of completing your education is amazing, and I would not have changed a thing about my experience at Bucks.”