Rachel Chobany’s story is a powerful reminder that it’s okay not to have it all figured out from day one. “My journey here was not linear in any aspect,” she admits. She started her first year at PennWest California as a radiology technology major, a world away from where she is now. Realizing it wasn’t the right fit, she switched to undecided, then to math, before ultimately landing on a major that offered the flexibility and applicability she was searching for. That major was Accounting.

She chose PennWest because two of her brothers had attended and built great careers, and she loved the campus. That supportive environment gave her the space to explore her options and find the path that was truly hers. Her search for an applicable major where she could use her math skills led her to accounting. That program, now part of the new School of Business, is where she connected with a pivotal mentor: Professor Christian Ola.

As an active member of the student accounting club, Rachel found that mentorship was key. Professor Ola provided her with job opportunities and guidance that are often difficult for students to find on their own. “Finding Dr. Ola through this program has been the most helpful thing ever,” Rachel says. “He has helped me with kind of deciding what I wanna do with my path.” This support directly led to an internship at PNC over the summer—an experience that resulted in a full-time job offer before she even begins her final semester.

Beyond the classroom, Rachel found a surprisingly broad sense of community. The integration of PennWest’s campuses meant she could connect with students and alumni from Edinboro and Clarion. During her internship, she bonded with her manager, a Clarion graduate who had taken classes with the same professor. “Combining the schools really gave me a larger sense of community and the ability to interact with people from different schools,” she says. Rachel’s journey—from an uncertain first-year student to a confident senior with a job secured—shows how PennWest provides the mentorship, opportunities, and community to help students navigate their own unique paths to success.