| Roloff ‘reality’ check
TLC’s Little People star visits CMU
Camcorders are rolling in Amy Roloff’s Oregon home five days a week – for up to 16 hours a day.
The Learning Channel ’s (TLC) Little People, Big World crew tapes the 4-foot Roloff, her husband Matt, and their four children getting ready for the day’s activities in the morning, enjoying family vacations, and playing sports.
The reality program, in its third season, captures an intimate view of what life is like for people with dwarfism.
More than 1.2 million viewers peered into her life in 2006. So it came as a surprise when Roloff, a 1985 CMU alumna who majored in business administration, admitted to Associate Professor Concha Neeley’s marketing class that she has a fear of public speaking.
“I can be a very private person,” she said to 40-plus students during her March visit. “I absolutely love talking to people, just not in large groups. But when I was invited back to CMU to speak about my experience here, even though I knew I’d be nervous, I had to come. I know what a great opportunity this is.”
All 1,250 seats were filled and nearly 500 people were turned away when Roloff took the stage at Plachta Auditorium later that night. Her speech emphasized the importance of a college education and overcoming obstacles. The TLC camera crew taped Roloff and the cheering crowd.
Sponsors for Roloff’s visit were On the Fly Productions and CBA’s Dow Corning Executive in Residence Endowment.
Joshua D. Merchant, former CBA senior development director, said Roloff related well to the CMU students and the Mount Pleasant community.
“Amy is so unaffected by her national exposure. When I would refer to specific episodes, she admitted that she doesn’t even watch the show,” Merchant said. “Her message on the show is similar to what she spoke about at CMU. She said no matter what our differences are, deep down we are all pretty much the same. Amy is refreshing.”
Taking risks set the stage for success
Roloff glimpsed into her future when traveling north on U.S. 127 for a family vacation. She was in high school.
“I remember seeing a billboard for the college while driving up to my parent’s cottage in the UP,” said Roloff, a Westland native. “I wanted to see what Central Michigan University was all about.”
Roloff toured the campus and found it was the perfect fit for her.
“It also had a great business program,” she said. “I was nervous though. Would people accept me?”
Her roommates also were a concern. She didn’t know if they’d accept how differently she handled everyday tasks and chores – like how she needed a step stool to answer the phone and do the dishes.
When she arrived at CMU, she learned that her fears were mainly unfounded.
“I was harder on myself than anyone else was. Once I realized that, my goals seemed easier to achieve,” Roloff said.
She also figured out what career path to take – personnel management and hospitality. “I wanted to be an accountant, but it was way too tedious for me. I wanted to work in business, but I needed to do something where I could help people.”
Her dream job was to work in a restaurant or hotel. But to do that, Roloff needed to find and complete an internship in the hospitality field.
“I sent my résumé off, and I was called for an interview to do an internship at a Michigan hotel. I was so excited because I got the job,” she said. “But when I showed up for work, I was told the job was no longer available. I never found out what happened, but I have a feeling it was because I was a little person.”
Roloff said she decided to get her diploma without the hospitality major.
“It was time for me to move on. I didn’t want to push graduation back another year. If I was meant to have my own restaurant and hotel, God would make it happen,” she said. “There were other things I needed to accomplish.”
Roloff: CMU business education valuable in many aspects of life
Balancing the checkbook, remembering appointments, and merging schedules all are skills Roloff learned at CMU. She does these things almost daily “on the job,” which for most of her postcollege career has involved being a stay-at-home parent and soccer coach.
“If a business degree doesn’t come in handy for being a parent, I don’t know what does,” she said.
Merchant praised Roloff for being a successful College of Business Administration alumna.
“She balances a part-time job, a family-owned business, and keeps a family of six on schedule. More importantly, Amy demonstrated to students that challenges in life are meant to be overcome.”
Roloff is thankful for her CMU experience. There is nothing more valuable today than a college education, Roloff told the audience in Plachta Auditorium.
Roloff said she now runs her own “restaurant” and “hotel.”
“I am always so busy in the kitchen making meals for my husband, four kids, and friends,” she said. “And I enjoy having people over all of the time. So I got to do what I always wanted – in the security of my own home.”
Best of all, Roloff doesn’t worry about the step stool when doing dishes or having a friendly phone conversation. The family kitchen was remodeled in Season One of Little People, Big World to make it little-people friendly.
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