Graduate Staff Spotlight | Christian Villarosa

Christian Villarosa

"In looking for a new job, I wanted to stay local to the Frederick and Washington County area. I thought this position would be a good fit given my previous work in admission."

Christian Villarosa, Assistant Director of Graduate Admission

Meet Christian Villanova, assistant director of graduate admission by day, cross country and track and field high school coach in his free time. Learn more The Graduate School's newest staff member and his life outside the office.

What attracted you to applying to The Graduate School at Hood College?

In looking for a new job, I wanted to stay local to the Frederick and Washington County area. I thought this position would be a good fit given my previous work in admission. I was extremely interested in working in the college environment as my previous experience was at the high school level.

What activities keep you busy outside of work?

My main activity outside of work is coaching the cross country and track and field teams at Saint John’s Catholic Prep. I also have interests in photography, anime, and enjoy rooting for the Baltimore Ravens.

How do your work and outside activities complement each other? 

When dealing with high schoolers, you learn to be patient. I think that skill will come into play with my current position at Hood College, especially when relaying specifics about our graduate programs and application requirements to incoming students.

What do you enjoy the most about your current position?

I like knowing that I am making a difference by helping to give people an opportunity to further their education. At the graduate level, students are excited about furthering their learning so the enthusiasm that they have is nice to experience as well!

What would you tell someone thinking about a graduate degree but who may be doubting their ability to balance it all?

Anything is possible with passion. If it is something you are genuinely excited about, you will find ways to make a graduate program work in your daily life. For U.S. students, many of our graduate programs offer part-time options, providing a lot of flexibility.

Tell us something unique/special about you.

At home, we have over 15 pets. These include a miniature cow, goats, ducks, chinchillas, a Russian tortoise, an axolotl, and a wheelchair-bound pug.

Ready to #GOFURTHER in your career? Learn more about Hood College’s graduate programs by clicking here.