Twice a year, Bolles has a panel discussion called Life Beyond Bolles. This tradition began this year on November 2 and looks to continue itself for years to come. This discussion is for Juniors and Seniors to further understand the advantages of going to Bolles along with understanding more of what happens right after high school. It helps students understand where they are and how to get to where they want.
The students that went to the meeting were given a free Chick-Fil-A breakfast, a small orange Bolles banner, and a Bolles water bottle. College advisors also attended along with the speakers, three Bolles alumni.
DeShawn Ruffin ‘14, a coach for JV Bolles Boys Basketball, attended the meeting to relay knowledge about continuing a career path of sports after graduating Bolles. Ruffin is the Development Manager for the organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). He also played basketball in college for four years. He claimed a national championship at Dalton State in 2015 along with an SSAC conference championship in 2017. He is the Vice President of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Association of Student Athletes (ASA), and the current President of the Southern States Athletic Council (SSAC). When attending Bolles his favorite teachers were Ms. Jacobson and Ms. Fluegel.
Athletically and academically, Ruffin had some helpful things to say such as:
“Bolles over prepared me for the transition from high school to college.”
Rachel Duffy Boswell ‘14, a lawyer who graduated from FSU, attended the meeting to inform students about the pursuit of law school. She is the Assistant General Counsel in the legal department at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and a member of the Florida Bar. She is the Vice President of the FSU college of Law Moot Court Team and winner of the UCLA School of Law Cybersecurity Moot Court Competition. At Bolles, she recieved the Olga G. Pratt award and when attending FSU she was in the honors program, graduating with a Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Communication/ Media Studies and Political Science. She immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1995.
“Little decisions that you make end up being a big part of what you want to do. It’s okay if you don’t have this insane calling. I didn’t.”
Louis Joos ‘94, a business man who graduated from Georgetown University, attended the meeting to provide insight for students interested in pursuing business in the future.
When attending Georgetown University, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Science and Economics with a minor in Finance. He recieved an MBA in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania. After Georgetown University he studied abroad at the London School of Economics. He earned Cum Laude and was a rower in college before studying abroad in various countries and cities. He also decided to work at Bear Stearns Investment Bank in New York, after all of this he decided to work for Goldman Sachs in London, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan. He then co-founded Refresh Mental Health with Bolles Alumni, Steven Gold. Refresh Mental Health was one of the largest mental health businesses in the US before they sold the company off to United Health Group.
“Enjoy college but always keep in mind that long term goal… How are you positioning yourself to reach that long term goal?”
