The Walla Walla University School of Business’ most recent colloquium hosted Starbucks’ executive vice president and chief financial officer Rachel Ruggeri. Ruggeri, a WWU alum, visited campus to share her experiences working in various levels of corporate finance and the lessons she learned as she earned her way.
Throughout her presentation, Ruggeri emphasized resilience and encouraged “testing the waters.” Using examples from her own career, Ruggeri said she had to apply 14 different times when she initially decided to work at Starbucks, but she didn’t let those rejections discourage her. She illustrated the concept of “testing the waters” by sharing the ways that her own career path has continued to change and evolve throughout the years due to her willingness to try new things.
All colloquium speakers are evaluated by the attending students, and Bruce Toews, dean of the School of Business, said Ruggeri’s presentation was exceptionally high rated. Students really connected with what she had to say. Toews said he recently had a student in his office who decided to switch majors based on what they learned from Ruggeri. The student had been unhappy with their major, but was too timid to “test the waters” until they attended Ruggeri’s presentation.
Raegan Boyse, a senior aviation management major, also attended this colloquium, and said “she reminded me that careers do not have to be a straight line. You can still be majorly successful and not work the same 9-5 from graduating college until retirement.”
Each quarter, the School of Business hosts four colloquiums for their students and any interested community members. When selecting colloquium speakers, Toews tries to bring in notable business, community, and thought leaders who can provide exposure to cutting-edge issues and ideas in the marketplace.
Just this year colloquium guest speakers have included: Randy Haffner, president and CEO of AdventHealth Florida; Riley Clubb, a local entrepreneur of Harvust; Randall Wilkinson, a retired physician and serial entrepreneur; Johnny Jesson, WWU and MIT alum working in high finance and analytics; and more.
To learn more about the School of Business and any upcoming colloquium speakers and events, visit 3327e.com/business.
Posted March 3, 2025.
