River Ellis, a 2015 graduate of Roxboro Community School, (RCS) has some important advice for current high school students.
“High school can be tough. College can be tough. Life in general can be tough. However, those tough moments don't define you. Keep on keepin' on,” she said.
After attending RCS from sixth through 12th grade, River enrolled at Piedmont Community College (PCC), where she earned an associate in arts degree before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). There, she earned bachelor of arts degrees in finance and business administration. Today, River works as a Logistics Data Management Specialist at Volvo Group.
She credits a class and an experience at RCS with sparking her interest in finance. “One of my main takeaways from RCS would have to be the Personal Finance class I took with Kara Roberts,” she said. “Not only did this kick start my passion with numbers, but it also showed me a piece of reality. There was one activity we participated in where we were given a random life that we picked by a stack of cards – you were given things such as a job, salary, and family. Each student walked around to different booths that represented different real-life scenario expenses [such as] rent, groceries, car payments, insurance, taxes, hospital, etc. This stuck with me because I realized these things would at some point happen in real life and it was a huge wake up call.”
River said her specific interest in production logistics came from internships at UNCG. She was a sales and marketing intern with Best Logistics Group in 2018 and served as a business control intern with Volvo Group in 2019. She received the UNCG Bronze Leadership Award and attended the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) Leadership Training Program.
She said she chose her current role due to her interest in Production Logistics within Volvo. “I was fascinated with learning how the manufacturing and business side worked together. I found that although my current role wasn't the finance role that I was originally looking for, I began to develop an interest in supply chain. Although I wasn't working on financial reports, I was still able to work with numbers – just more in the form of big data. Working to ensure data quality and system capability has become my passion within my current role and I'm excited to learn more! My goal is to learn more about data visualization techniques and technologies in the future,” she said. “I love the fact that Volvo is a global company and presents me with the opportunities to travel and learn more about other cultures.”
College allowed her to obtain an exciting and rewarding career, but River said she is “most proud of being a first generation student within [her] family. “It was challenging at times, especially leaving all I'd ever known in Roxboro,” she said, “but I am so grateful for the opportunities and experiences college has allowed me. I would not have been able to do this without the support of my family, whom I love very much.”
She added, however, that, “College is not for everyone and that's OK. There are so many jobs in this lifetime that are needed that do not require a college degree and these jobs are JUST as important as any other. Drive and willingness to learn are the two main factors to being successful in anything you pursue.”
She said she would advise current students, “don't be afraid to go to community college, especially if you're still struggling with figuring out what you want to do. At the time I was in school,” she said, “there seemed to be some sort of stigma around going to community college. I'm not sure if that stigma still exists today, but I hope not. This is what caused me not to consider going to PCC for so long.
“In all honesty, going to a community college was one of the best decisions I ever made,” River continued. “I met so many different people, both students and faculty, that helped me along my journey. I was able to save money and gain experience by working a part time office job, while attending school full time. This time at community college also allowed me time to figure out what I truly wanted to pursue in terms of my major when transferring, as I wasn't 100 percent sure after graduating from high school.”
While in school at RCS, River made “many fond memories. I'd have to say the highlight was band,” she said. “I was in band for all seven years at RCS. Over that time, all of my band members became like family and Mr. [Eric] Swanson,” former RCS band director, “played a huge part in that. He always had a way of bringing us all together and making us feel at home. Music has always been a big part of my life and being able to express that with some of my favorite people in high school was great!” In addition to band, River participated in Beta Club, FBLA and soccer while at RCS.
She said, “RCS prepared me for college, career, and life in many ways. The people I met and the experiences I had can never be taken away.”