UMass Global celebrates Rock Academy graduates

Photo credit: Michelle Goyette

IRVINE, Calif. (Nov. 15, 2022) – What do you get when an innovative online university like University of Massachusetts Global works alongside a forward-thinking fintech brand like Rocket Companies? The answer: well-educated and highly engaged workers.

If you don’t know, in late 2015, Rocket Mortgage, among the best-known brands in the Rocket Companies portfolio, was ahead of the online curve when it introduced the first fully digital, completely online mortgage experience. Since then, Rocket Mortgage has gone on to originate more than $1.5 trillion in loans. Also ahead of the online curve, UMass Global has a history of leveraging online delivery modalities to create new opportunities.

In a new wave of innovation, Rocket Companies, in concert with Guild Education, created the Rock Academy program, which offers free college as an employee benefit for team members who elect to enroll in a participating college or university that specializes in serving working adults through online learning. Today, more than 100 team members are enrolled in UMass Global programs.

Last month, on October 17, Rocket Academy celebrated its first-ever graduating class. Joining in on the celebration was Michelle Goyette, director of national resources and partnerships for UMass Global, who traveled to Rocket’s Detroit headquarters in support of UMass Global’s Rock Academy graduates.

Meet two new grads

Among the UMass Global Rock Academy graduates were Michael Woods, who earned a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership, and Sameer Barua, who gained a Graduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership.

“It was cool being recognized at the graduation ceremony,” Woods, 43, said. “It was a moment to stop and reflect on all the work I’ve been putting in the last two years – it all paid off. It was just a rewarding feeling to take a moment, pause, reflect, and be grateful for accomplishing that. It was fantastic.”

Woods, among those who opted for a master’s degree in organizational leadership, completed a self-paced online UMass Global My Path program using competency-based education (CBE) techniques to help students pick up new skills. Because he had control over his schedule, Woods could intensify his studies when he wanted to focus on his degree and could also decide when to take a break to devote time to family priorities. That meant he could accelerate his pace to complete his degree in time for October’s ceremony or make time for important events like birthdays, anniversaries, and family vacations.

“It was perfect. I thought it paid a lot of respect to someone who had some professional experience,” Woods said. “I thought that was fantastic. It gave us exactly what we needed as far as flexibility. I appreciated that because it was an acknowledgment that life happens. There are other things that we need to do or other things that we want to do, and it just gave me the comfort to own my own schedule.”

At Rocket, Woods is a team leader who helps make sure people originating loans for clients in many different areas have the licenses they need. While enrolled, his coursework informed his approach to work in multiple ways. He shared interesting concepts and materials with colleagues and also became more conscious of using data to inform decisions.

Barua, 39, is a data analyst and just added a graduate-level certificate to an educational resume that already includes master’s degrees in business administration and information technology leadership. He enrolled in UMass Global on the strength of reviews, faculty reputation, and available courses.

His favorite course here was OLCU 630, “Leadership Lives in Film,” in which students screen movies like “Hidden Figures” to assess how characters’ actions represent positive or negative leadership behaviors. Barua also scored an interview with Rocket Mortgage Chief Executive Bob Walters for a course assignment and studied different styles of leadership on his way to completing his certificate.

“We tend to think of leadership in a very abstract way, but understanding that there are different styles like authentic leadership and servant leadership and some of the different theories behind it helped crystallize my understanding of what different styles of leadership can be. Being able to apply those learnings to what I’ve experienced in my career helped me shape how I want to focus my own leadership style,” Barua said.

Although Barua earned degrees elsewhere, he said he did not attend a commencement ceremony until now. To him, the Rock Academy ceremony was more meaningful because of the support he and his colleagues received from their company. He also said he would recommend a program like Rock Academy to anyone whose employer offers to pay for college.