Contributing to College and Career Opportunities
Michelle Perry Higgins ’94 feels forever indebted to Saint Mary’s College. First a scholarship made it possible for her to attend. Then two internships shaped and fueled her career after graduation.
An internship at Shell Oil Company turned into a full-time position after she earned her BS in Business Administration. A second internship with Lincoln Financial Advisors introduced Higgins to her future partners in California Financial Advisors, where she is a principal and financial planner specializing in wealth management.
“People in the career center and elsewhere at Saint Mary’s took the time to say ‘Michelle, look at this or have you thought about that?’ The college is small enough to invest time and interest in students,” Higgins said. “I’d never envisioned being a financial planner, but it sparked something in me.”
Higgins not only advises clients at companies such as AT&T and Chevron, but also writes and speaks about topics such as retirement planning, funding a college education, investments, and wealth management. She has appeared on television and published Amazon best-selling books on organizing financial matters, saving for college, and balancing work and personal life.
For many years, Higgins was involved in her own juggling act, focused on reaching the top of her profession while starting a family. But eventually, she says, “I got to a point in my life when giving back to the college became very important to me.”
Since then, Higgins has joined the Women’s Leadership Council to mentor students and connect them with alumni as well as raise scholarship funds. She has contributed to these funds by donating the profits from sales of her book College Poor No More. More recently, Higgins became a member of the SMC Board of Regents. She also speaks to students in classes and at roundtables whenever possible.
“I have this platform, this voice, and I’m not quiet about my love of Saint Mary’s College,” Higgins said. “I want to open doors for students and give back to women. I was lucky to have amazing mentors who taught me the etiquette of business and were monumental in my becoming the woman I am today.”