When Leanne Teslak graduated high school she had no idea what she wanted to do so she came to College of the Rockies to try to figure it out.
“With the College being close to home and an affordable school, it allowed me to try out different courses and figure out where my interests were,” she says.
Leanne started taking courses in the Human Kinetics (now Kinesiology) program and discovered that the sciences were where she really wanted to be. She changed focus and went on to earn an Associate Degree in Science.
“Coming to the College was the best decision I ever made. Having Betty Mosher and David Dick as instructors changed my life. They made me feel like they really cared if I learned and if I did well,” she adds.
The impact of her time at the College helped build the desire to continue her education. Leanne has since gone on to complete her Bachelor of Science at the University of Alberta and is currently in the last stages of finishing her Masters of Science degree.
While working on her education, Leanne is also employed by EPCOR Water Services as a laboratory technician, a position she earned right after her time at the College with a little help from reference letters from her COTR instructors. She has been employed there for four years and has combined her work with her Master’s program by exploring a Qualitative Microbial Risk Assessment in water distribution systems for her thesis project.
“Without College of the Rockies, I would never have made it to where I am today,” she enthuses. “It was a great experience and really helped me find my path in life without emptying my pockets.”
Learn more about Science courses at College of the Rockies.