South Seattle Community College Foundation Meet Our Donors Mary Anne Coles

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Meet Our Donor ~ Mary Anne Coles

Growing up the in the West Seattle area, Mary Anne has fond memories of coming to South Seattle Community College with her family to eat at the Culinary Arts Center. Little did she know that South would eventually open the door for her to work at one of the world's most well-known companies.

An excellent student, who especially enjoyed studying art and science, Mary Anne enrolled in St. John's College in New Mexico after graduating from her Seattle-area high school. While in college Mary Anne gave birth to a son, who is now fourteen years old, and put her education on hold to be a full-time mother.

When she returned to work, she met a businessman who served as a mentor and motivated her to return to college. "He didn't just tell me I should go back to school," she said. "He said that I owe it to myself to be successful and that I deserve success."

His encouragement inspired Mary Anne to enroll at South Seattle Community College. At first she was a little hesitant after being out of school for some time, but quickly found that South welcomed her with open arms. "South makes it easy for anyone to start there, and the atmosphere is really encouraging."

Mary Anne entered the college transfer program at South and began working towards her associate's degree. "I remember telling myself if I just take it one step at a time I can get my A.A degree." She says this thought, and her instructors, motivated her through the challenge of attending school and raising her son as a single parent. "Everyone was very supportive and there was always someone there for me to talk to," she remembers.

In 1996, Mary Anne graduated from South with her A.A. degree and then transferred to the University of Washington, where once again she was touched by the help of a mentor.

At first attending the UW seemed a bit overwhelming, but an old friend from South eagerly helped Mary Anne prepare for UW and gave her some tips to succeeding there. Mary Anne must have quickly found the keys to success because she landed a job offer from Microsoft several months before graduating cum laude with her bachelor's of science in computer engineering. "Never in a million years did I think I would be working at Microsoft."

Mary Anne has spent the last five years at Microsoft. She currently works as a test engineer for customer relationship management software. In her role she tests software for bugs and errors before it's ready to be sold. "I really like the scientific aspect of testing," she says.

Now, Mary Anne wants to follow in the footsteps of those who helped her achieve her goals by doing the same for others. She serves as a mentor for two new employees at Microsoft and has been involved with supporting students at South Seattle Community College for several years. Scholarships provided by the South Seattle Community College Foundation meant a lot to Mary Anne as she worked towards completing her degree at South. Wanting to provide this same opportunity for other students, Mary Anne has generously donated to the Adopt-A-Student scholarship program. Her gifts have provided several students with scholarships for a full-year of tuition. In addition, Mary Anne offers to serve as a mentor for these students and shares her story with other South students at various events.

"Graduates like Mary Anne inspire other students to achieve their goals," says South Seattle Community College President Dr. Jill Wakefield. "It lets them know that the community cares enough to invest in them and that they, too, can succeed."

For Mary Anne, giving back not only helps others, but it is also personally rewarding. "It feels really good to help others who are facing a situation similar to mine," Mary Anne says. "And I hope they will be able to learn from me and my experiences."