Rose's entrepreneurship journey: Using new skills to build a business
Rose completed her Bachelor of Culinary Management and is building her own food business. Read how she turned adversity into ambition here.
Rose’s path to this moment was anything but linear. Before returning to study, Rose had proudly worked her way up to Chef Manager, supported by her Associate Degree in Culinary Management. She was thriving until life took an unexpected turn. In the middle of her Bachelor of Culinary Management, she reached a point where withdrawing felt like the only option.
From recovery to launching her own business
Then came a phone call from Torrens University staff, a conversation she still describes as one of the sweetest and most uplifting moments of her life.
“That call reminded me of who I am, a person who doesn’t give up easily and shouldn’t give in now.”
It was the spark she needed to rebuild herself, step by step. She returned to her studies with a new focus: Business. She wanted to connect her love of food with her long held dream of opening a restaurant. As she immersed herself in business strategy, operations and entrepreneurship, she discovered something deeper, a passion for creating, leading and building something that mattered.
Then came another challenge: a temporary illness that lasted more than a year. It affected everything from her studies to work, even her ability to go outside.
“It was the most difficult and isolating time,” she recalls.
Yet in that stillness, something began to grow. The lessons from her lecturers, the encouragement from Torrens University staff, and the support of her family replayed in her mind. She began imagining what kind of business she could create from home.
“Sometimes, all it takes is a thread of hope, and for me, Torrens University was that hope.”
Little by little, she recovered, completed her Bachelor of Business and began preparing to launch her own business. Another defining moment came when she volunteered as a Team Leader with Torrens University’s Social Enterprise Hub. That experience transformed her confidence and leadership skills, teaching her the power of community, compassion and teamwork. Values she now brings into everything she does as a business owner.
Rose often returns to the words that carried her through:
Fall seven times, stand up eight, because true strength isn’t about never falling, it’s about never staying down. Keep your head high, your heart open, and your spirit unshaken. You’ve got this, and your comeback will inspire others to rise too.”
Her story is a reminder that success is built on courage, community and the belief that even in your hardest moments, you can rise again. Rose is now the Founder & CEO of BerraShannya.
