CoCo Rosales, Class of 2028, thrives at Manchester

Finding Her Place at Manchester

When CoCo Rosales first arrived at Manchester University for a campus visit during her senior year of high school, she wasn’t expecting to find her future.

In fact, Manchester wasn’t even the school she had planned to visit that day.

A last-minute change brought her to North Manchester instead. As she walked across campus, something immediately felt different.

“I still have pictures I sent to my family from that visit,” CoCo recalled. “I was like, ‘I really love it here.’ It just felt very homey. It’s very pretty. I got here and knew this felt right.”

That feeling matters.

For many students, the decision to enroll begins long before the first class. It starts with a first impression: a welcoming campus, beautiful grounds, safe spaces, and a community where students can envision themselves belonging. Those experiences, often supported through gifts to the Manchester Fund, play a critical role in attracting and retaining students.

For CoCo, that first visit became the foundation of a life-changing college experience.

Today, the junior from Plymouth, Indiana, is pursuing a double major in psychology and peace studies with a minor in criminology. She hopes to build a career advocating for victims of crime and vulnerable communities, work inspired by a lifelong desire to help others.

“I’ve always imagined myself doing something where people really need help and advocacy,” she said. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

What she didn’t anticipate was how many opportunities Manchester would provide to help her discover and refine that calling.

More Than a Degree

At many universities, students attend class and then head home. CoCo’s experience has been vastly different.

In addition to a demanding academic schedule, she serves as president of Manchester’s Honors Program Student Leadership Council and president of United Sexualities and Genders (USG). She’s active in environmental studies initiatives, participates in the Kenapocomoco Peace Coalition, works as the Head Ambassador in Admissions, and regularly attends campus events.

Those opportunities have transformed Manchester from a place where she takes classes into a community where she belongs.

“I usually try to stay here when there’s stuff going on,” CoCo said. “There’s always something happening. I really love being involved.”

Her leadership roles aren’t résumé-builders. They’re passions.

Through USG, CoCo helped organize a campus drag show that raised money for the Indiana Youth Group, supporting LGBTQ+ youth throughout the state. Through Honors, she’s been able to help create professional development opportunities, community-building events, and meaningful experiences for fellow students.

“I feel like leadership is one of my best skills and something I really value,” she said.

Those co-curricular experiences have become a critical part of her Manchester education, creating the connections and sense of belonging that keep students engaged and thriving throughout their college years.

The Power of Personal Connections

One of the most distinctive aspects of a Manchester education, according to CoCo, is the accessibility of faculty and staff.

She laughs when she looks at how many mentors she has accumulated across campus.

“I have a great support system here,” she said. “I really love my professors.”

Faculty members have done far more than teach classes. They’ve helped her discover opportunities she never knew existed.

When CoCo traveled to Nepal for a travel course, Peace Studies Professor Katy Gray Brown sent her information about an environmental policy internship. While still abroad and navigating a 10-hour time difference, CoCo interviewed from her hotel room.

She got the position.

The paid internship with Earth Charter Indiana became a major professional opportunity and allowed her to help organize an environmental conference that will be hosted at Manchester University.

“I wouldn’t have gotten opportunities like that somewhere else,” CoCo said. “The connections here are so valuable.”

Those connections continue to shape her future.

From faculty mentors who guide her academic journey to admissions staff who encouraged her leadership potential, CoCo describes a campus where people consistently invest in student success.

“I just feel like all the right doors have opened and all the right opportunities have come across my path,” she said.

Welcoming the Next Generation

Nowhere is CoCo’s love for Manchester more visible than in her work with Admissions.

As Head Ambassador, she oversees student tour guides and helps prospective students experience the same welcoming environment that influenced her decision to enroll. She remembers how meaningful her own campus visit was.

“I liked my lunch host. I liked my tour guide. I liked how they presented the space,” she said. “I knew that was something I wanted to do for other students.”

Every day, she helps create those first impressions for future Spartans. And she knows firsthand how powerful those moments can be.

“When you get there, you’ll know when it’s right,” she said. “That’s what happened to me.”

Investing in Student Success

Reflecting on her college experience so far, CoCo can’t imagine having chosen another institution.

Many of her friends who attend larger universities have fewer opportunities for leadership, mentorship, and meaningful campus involvement. At Manchester, she has been able to immerse herself in experiences that extend far beyond the classroom.

She’s presented research at conferences, traveled internationally, led student organizations, completed paid internships, and built relationships with faculty who continue to shape her future.

“I feel like I’m able to do so much more,” she said. “I’m not just going to have a degree. I have all this other stuff I’ve built myself into.”

For donors who support Manchester University, CoCo’s story is a powerful reminder of the impact philanthropy makes every day.

Support for the Manchester Fund helps maintain the welcoming campus that first captured CoCo’s attention. It helps create safe and beautiful spaces where students gather and form community. It strengthens experiential learning opportunities, supports student organizations, and ensures faculty and staff can provide the individualized attention that transforms lives.

Most importantly, it helps students like CoCo discover who they are and who they can become.

“I’m still figuring out exactly what path I’ll take,” CoCo said. “But I know I’m setting myself up for greatness.”

Thanks to the opportunities she’s found at Manchester, there’s little doubt she is.