Rosemary Forst never thought she’d end up becoming a Massage Therapist, but the recent WCCMT graduate is quickly becoming a recognized healthcare professional in the West Coast. After studying musical theatre at Douglas College, Rosemary realized she wanted a slightly more stable career, one where she wouldn’t have to worry about where her next pay cheque was coming from. Knowing she wanted to travel, the free-spirited Rosemary looked to the tropics and soon found herself in Hawaii. It was here that her journey into the world of Massage Therapy would begin.
While enjoying her time on the islands, Rosemary decided to take some (a lot of) time to learn a new skill. She started an intensive, 700 hour, 9 month Massage Therapy course. A few weeks in, she realized that this was a profession she could really see herself falling in love with. “The program was just enough science and just enough energetic holistic stuff!” Rosemary recalls. It was this mix of science and hands on, person-to-person work that attracted her to Massage Therapy. She soon made the easy decision to make a career out of her new passion.
On her return home to B.C., Rosemary realized that to become a practicing Massage Therapist in Canada, she would need to get her license and that meant going back to school. She began to weigh her options and started looking into the different local institutes. Rosemary tried out a number of schools prior to finding herself at WCCMT. “The other schools just had a different vibe”, Rosemary remembers, “It was very off-putting.” She found WCCMT to be very different “they were sympathetic to my situation and made it clear that I would be able to work anywhere.”
Starting at WCCMT, Rosemary decided to really immerse herself in her new
environment. She loved the scientific nature of the curriculum as well as the school’s focus on emotional intent. While she found everything interesting, that didn’t mean it was easy. “Most people don’t get it unless they struggle a bit,” recalls Rosemary, commenting on the intense nature of the program. Despite this struggle, Rosemary still found time to take on leadership positions at WCCMT and was her class representative for all five semesters. “Being class rep was a great time and it was good for my resume too,” she says with a smile. The position resulted in her being chosen valedictorian of her year and winning the leadership award.
Looking forward, Rosemary is planning on passing the board exams in a few months. “I’d like to be a professional” she laughs, “You know, the kind that wears polo shirts and dress Capri’s.” Rosemary is incredibly happy with how well WCCMT prepared her for the real world: “that place was the best thing that’s ever happened to me” she exclaims. “I have now done radio commercials for WCCMT here in BC for “JRFM” and “The Peak” Radio stations, and I won the Harry Goldstein Leadership Award with a colleague”
WCCMT is proud to call Rosemary Frost an alumnus and is incredibly excited to see where her promising career will take her. Check out some other blogs! If you are a WCCMT alum and would like to share your story please contact [email protected]
