Sorreea Gagnebin

Like many high school students, Sorreea Gagnebin was torn between two programs of study to focus on in college. The 2021 Danbury High School graduate said it was either going to be nursing or business, and ultimately, she decided on nursing. With that in mind, her college search focused on regional powerhouses for nursing, including Western Connecticut State University and Quinnipiac College in Connecticut, and Simmons University and Boston College in Massachusetts.

“I knew WestConn has a really good nursing program, and I wanted to be close to home to watch my younger brothers grow up,” Gagnebin said. “So, I decided to attend WestConn.”

Gagnebin enrolled as a Nursing major and as a member of the Kathwari Honors Program, and explored extracurricular opportunities such as joining the Student Government Association (SGA). After two semesters of coursework, she decided the workload for her chosen major was “too much.” Gagnebin explained, “I wanted to have time to focus on things like Student Government, and I couldn’t seem to find time to do both, so I considered changing my major to my other interest, business.”

There are so many options in WestConn’s AACSB-accredited Ancell School of Business, that “it’s almost scary,” Gagnebin said. With program choices that included Accounting, Cybersecurity, Economics, Finance, Management, Management Information Systems or Marketing, Gagnebin initially pursued Accounting and then finally settled on Business Management.

While some institutions may have made it difficult for Gagnebin to finally find her niche, at WestConn she was not only able to change majors — she will be graduating a semester early.

“I really like it here, this smaller community,” Gagnebin said. “You know the majority of people you walk past on campus. The quality of the education is really great, and financially it’s cheaper than other options. I got to be at home with my loved ones, too. Plus, the professors here make such a difference. For example, Dr. Weltmann, who taught my HR class, was always personable and interested in my plans for the future. It makes you feel good that your professor sees something in you and lets you know.”

Gagnebin continued, “A lot of people don’t realize that WestConn is a hidden gem and that you can still have the full ‘college experience’ here — whatever that means to you. It’s what you make of it. You have to put yourself out there.”

“Putting yourself out there” for Gagnebin included serving as an Orientation Leader and working as a financial office assistant in Events and Conference Management and as an office assistant in the Center for Student Involvement. She joined the Accounting Society and the Asian Student Union and ascended from member to vice president to president of the Student Government Association.

“SGA has been such a great part of my college experience,” Gagnebin said. “I joined as a freshman and my participation has helped me grow professionally in terms of leadership and communication skills. It’s always been very outside of my comfort zone to be talking to a lot of people outside my inner circle, and through SGA I have learned a lot and met all my closest friends.”

This willingness to push her limits perhaps in part inspired Gagnebin to sign up for Connecticut CPA Day at the suggestion of a friend. “You meet lots of auditing and accounting firms all at once to see if you can line up a job,” Gagnebin explained. “I was invited to a second round of interviews and was offered a job as an audit associate at PKF O’Connor Davies in Stamford.”

Gagnebin will complete her undergraduate studies and obtain a B.B.A. in Management in December 2024. In January 2025, she will begin to pursue a Master of Business Administration from WestConn’s Ancell School of Business. She’ll start her new job in August. “I want to stay here,” Gagnebin said. “The only other option was a completely online school, and the cost is better at WestConn than anywhere else. By the time I complete my M.B.A., I would like to sit for the CPA exam. I’m excited about this job and the experiences it will provide me, and also for the opportunity to get my education as far as I can at WestConn while I’m still in my 20s. I’ll be the first female member of my family to graduate from college with not one, but two degrees.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.