Success Stories

Tiffany Rouser (‘24 UM-Flint) vividly remembers telling her parents in high school that she had no intention of going to college — under any circumstances. Her plan was to work hard at a job and figure things out on her own. "My parents, who were not particularly surprised, simply said ‘okay,' and never brought it up again," says Rouser, who was born and raised in Flint.

As planned, Rouser graduated from high school and began working at child care facilities, and nannying for families. "I did that for about eight years before I realized that I couldn't see myself doing this for another 30 years," she says. "I could see that hard work wasn't going to be enough to get me to where I wanted to be in life, and that it probably would require a college degree."

Charting a Path Forward

At 25, Rouser enrolled at Mott Community College in Flint, where she earned an associate's degree in general studies. "During that time, I became increasingly interested in how communities solve problems together. Coming from Flint, I saw firsthand the unique challenges we have faced in our community," says Rouser. "I also noticed that when people try to collaborate across sectors, communication barriers often stand in the way of meaningful progress. Many residents don't feel they have a platform to voice their concerns, or when they do speak up, they're not always heard."

Motivated by these issues, Rouser began exploring ways to strengthen communication and civic engagement in Flint. "I started focusing on how we could create spaces where people feel heard, and ensure that systems are in place to support real dialogue across the community," she says. "My passion for this work led to research projects examining how communities interact with local officials, including the police. These questions really sparked something in me about the critical role communication plays in effectively solving problems within a community."

New Academic Horizons

It wasn't long before Rouser noticed that UM-Flint had a communications program. She applied immediately and was accepted. At the time, Rouser assumed she would have to pay for tuition out of pocket, and made her first payment to UM-Flint. Soon after, she received a refund on her credit card for that same tuition payment. Rouser called the enrollment office to inquire about the refund.

"That's when I first learned about the Go Blue Guarantee. It was a great surprise. I remember being very happy to learn that I had financial support like this to pursue my degree," says Rouser, a first-generation college student. "It's been a huge 180 for me, from not wanting to go to school at all to really wanting to go to school to pursue something I was passionate about. The Go Blue Guarantee has allowed me to focus on my classes, putting my energy and attention toward that instead of wondering how I could afford tuition."

Matching Career with Passion

Rouser has been very fortunate to be able to pursue her passion in a career that allows her to work on solving problems in the Flint community. "I'm working in the nonprofit space as an associate director for GearUp2Lead, a nonprofit that helps young people connect to education and employment," she says. "I get to work directly with young people who might be disconnected, and to bring awareness and access to the resources they need to be successful in life. It's definitely a perfect fit for me. This is something that not everybody gets to do. I'm very, very thankful."

Looking back, Rouser says she is proud of herself for being willing to adapt and enroll in UM-Flint, even when going to school was the last thing she wanted to do. "I think that's something that ‘high school Tiffany' wouldn't have thought she could do. I'm just proud that I was able to see that I wanted more, and then to take the steps to make it happen," says Rouser.

Heeding Good Advice

Rouser says there were plenty of days when she felt uncertain about how things would play out with school. "I felt far behind academically with others my age. But my older sister told me, ‘Whatever you want to do, I'm going to support you. Don't ever think you can't do it. Just take it one step at a time.' That was helpful to me," says Rouser. "It's something I still think of when things are difficult or overwhelming. If you break things down into smaller pieces, they're doable. When you have the support you need, you can do a lot more than you might think you're able to."

Not only did this advice help her personally; it has also helped the young people she works with who are unsure if they will ever be able to go to college, due to costs or academic challenges. "Because I've gone through that experience, I'm able to tell them about the available resources they can utilize to be successful in life."