Rose Lynch

50th Anniversary Notable Alumni. A first-generation college student, Rose enrolled at TCC at the age of 37 where she excelled. In fact, at the age of 40 she won the Jack Kent Cook Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, the largest and most prestigious community college transfer scholarship in the United States, of up to $120,000 for three years of study.

50th Anniversary Notable Alumni Feature Rose Lynch: After growing up in humble circumstances, Rose was interested in working with struggling teens and women, and the homeless. She served as a missionary to various west African countries and then felt a call to move to Tulsa in 1989, where she worked with several faith-based communities and supported herself by working various administrative assistant and project coordinator positions. During this time she knew she needed a college education. So, at the age of 37, she enrolled at Tulsa Community College where she excelled.

She became president of TCC’s Student Government Association and was voted in as the first female to chair the Student Advisory Board to the Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education. During her two-year tenure, the board worked on safety issues for LGBT students, as well as getting ombudsmen on the campuses for cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault of students.

“The SGA, Phi Theta Kappa, and Honors Program boosted my understanding of servant leadership and Roberts Rules of Order, which I use frequently,” she said. “TCC instructors went above and beyond to push my love for learning and make me dig deeper to grasp various concepts. The dedication to excellence by the professors/adjuncts was a shining example of what I wanted my life to express.”

A first-generation college student, Rose received multiple scholarships such as the George and Donna Nigh Foundation Scholar of Academic Promise, Provost Scholar, Honors Scholar, and the Kontogianes Honors Award. She also served as a two-time Great Plains Honors Conference presenter, Phi Theta Kappa member and VP of Leadership. She earned Communications and Psychology degrees from TCC in 2008. She also volunteered with many organizations, including the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, Love for Life, and Tulsa Opera.

At the age of 40, Rose won the Jack Kent Cook Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, the largest and most prestigious community college transfer scholarship in the United States, of up to $120,000 for three years of study. She went on to study Sociology with a minor in English and currently is self-employed, handling grant research for nonprofit organizations and other entities.