Bridgewater was just so accommodating for a non-traditional student. What stuck out the most for me were all the resources available.
Ann Ulett, ’92, arrived on the Bridgewater State campus as a single mother of two juggling schoolwork and childcare.
With an associate degree from Massasoit Community College in hand, Ulett was eager to further her education to land a job that would balance professional and family obligations.
“Bridgewater was just so accommodating for a non-traditional student,” said Ulett, who pursued her bachelor’s degree in management science (with an accounting concentration) in her late 20s and early 30s. “What stuck out the most for me were all the resources available.”
Fast forward several decades and Ulett is now helping ensure today’s students feel similarly supported in her new role as a member of BSU’s Board of Trustees. Appointed by Gov. Maura Healey, Ulett brings 26 years of experience working for PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, a prominent international accounting firm.
Ulett has spent most of those years in recruitment with a focus on diversity. For more than a decade, she has managed two of PwC’s internship and student-development programs. She often speaks with students at BSU and elsewhere about succeeding in business.
“It gave me the opportunity to come back and share what I learned – the dos and don’ts and unspoken rules,” said Ulett, who serves as PwC’s northeast entry level trust business recruiting manager.
As a first-generation Bridgewater student, Ulett appreciated the mentorship from professors and staff members, including Paul Gaines, who served as Bridgewater’s first director of minority affairs. Gaines recognized Ulett’s knack for working with students even before Ulett realized that was to be her calling.
She has remained connected to her alma mater by joining the BSU Foundation’s board, the Ricciardi College of Business Advisory Board, and the Afro-American Alumni Association. Her grandson graduated from Bridgewater, and her son is currently a nontraditional BSU student studying aviation.
As a trustee, she looks forward to supporting Bridgewater’s commitment to success for all students and focus on racial justice. BSU’s values, she said, align perfectly with her own.
“I’m pretty excited about the opportunity and excited to work together with an amazing group of trustees,” she said. “I feel back at home.”
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