Written by Stephanie Gordon
Colleen Colosimo Vogt, ’90, knew from a young age that she wanted to work in a school setting. Education, learning, and athletics were her passions, and they ultimately led her to Hillsdale College. Colleen now leads Will Carleton Academy (WCA) in Hillsdale and has been at the helm from the very beginning.
Born and raised in the Detroit area, Colleen attended a Catholic K-8 school and graduated from Cranbrook Kingswood in 1986. “I had an incredible K-12 education, and Hillsdale recruited me to play basketball, but I ended up playing softball,” she said. “The big draw for me was the education program and Mary Randall Preschool. I never hesitated about wanting to go into education.”
For Colleen, she wanted to continue that educational excellence through conversation, discussion, and the cultivation of her critical thinking. She majored in early childhood education and minored in French and English. “Chris Flowers, Kathy Connor, and Linda Wise [in Hillsdale’s Education Department] really influenced me,” said Colleen. “It’s funny because I graduated from high school with a 2.8 grade-point average, but I graduated from Hillsdale College with a 3.8 because I was doing what I loved. My education cultivated my desire to keep learning.”
Outside of classes, she spent most of her time at Mary Randall Preschool, working as a student assistant, and at the sports complex. She was also a Resident Assistant during her sophomore, junior, and senior years. “I really just focused on learning, leadership, and taking care of myself while I was at Hillsdale,” she said.
Colleen was a catcher for the Chargers softball team. “I played catcher in high school, and it was a position I enjoyed,” she said. “I liked basketball, but I loved softball, so it worked. I got to play with an incredible group of young women at Hillsdale. They were all so positive and uplifting, and I really loved that environment.”
But it was a meniscus tear during the fall of her junior year that ended her softball career at Hillsdale. “Back then, that was a career-ending injury,” she explained. “I had surgery over Christmas break and came back to campus on crutches. It really changed my trajectory. I continued to practice, but I didn’t play my senior year. What an experience for a little gal from Detroit.”
Colleen did her student teaching at Mary Randall Preschool and Hillsdale Community Schools, calling it an eye-opening experience. “I student-taught at Bailey Elementary School with Connie Erholtz, and she was just amazing. She helped me affirm everything I thought I knew about myself and what I wanted to do. It was a good experience for me because all of my personal educational experience up to that point was parochial or private. Being under the supervision of someone like Connie in a traditional public school setting was great for me. It was my first exposure to true public school education, and to see the expectations for the children and that Connie believed herself to be the keeper of the knowledge was just wonderful.”
A recipient of the Tinsley Independence Scholarship, Colleen flew to Florida twice a year to visit with her scholarship donor. “On one of my flights, I found myself sitting with Dr. [George] Roche,” she said. “He had a genuine interest in my thoughts on education. Dr. Roche ended up being instrumental in my next steps.”
Upon graduation, Colleen’s experiences forced her to think about where she wanted to land in her career as a teacher. Initially, she thought she would move back home to teach kindergarten at Livonia Public Schools. But a different path presented itself to Colleen when Dr. Roche encouraged her to teach at the newly founded Hillsdale Academy.
Colleen became an inaugural lower elementary school teacher for eight years at Hillsdale Academy. “It was a great time in my life,” she recalled. “I was also connected to the community, became engaged, then married, and started my family.”
In the mid-1990s, Michigan charter schools became a popular school choice after Governor John Engler signed legislation creating Michigan’s charter school law. Local parents wanted to see a charter school formed in the Hillsdale area. “There was a group of mothers getting together every Tuesday morning, brainstorming and planning, and there were a lot of what-ifs at that time,” Colleen said. “They asked me if I wanted to lead one of Hillsdale’s very first public charter schools. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t know if I wanted to wake up one day and be a principal.”
So, Colleen gave it a lot of thought, put her resume together, and applied for the job. She was offered the job in four days. She accepted the position, and a new adventure began.
In the fall of 1998, WCA opened its doors to K-6 grades. In the fall of 1999, 7th grade was added, and 8th grade soon followed in 2000. In the fall of 2004, WCA officially became a K-12 school, graduating its first class of seniors in 2005. Colleen is still at the helm, 28 years later.
“WCA wasn’t born out of disgruntlement,” said Colleen. “People just wanted something different. I was able to bring my knowledge to the school and apply it. We value respect, responsibility, and virtue here at WCA. That’s what my work is right now. I teach every day, figuratively.”
Colleen explained that WCA continues to reflect good test scores, but what’s most important is the humans they’re creating. “We want our students to be good citizens and culturally literate,” said Colleen. “Our graduates are ready for training school or a four-year college classroom. We gauge our success on how many job opportunities a student receives or what a new employer says about them, not by how many students are attending a four-year school. It takes all kinds, and that’s the public school of WCA.”
It’s no secret that Colleen loves her job. If you look around her office, you will find wooden quote signs gifted by students and families that drive her positive attitude as a leader and a teacher. “I love my job,” Colleen said. “See, look at that sign, ‘It’s a good day to have a good day.’ ‘Surround yourself with people who make you great.’ I wake up every day thinking something great is going to happen, and I keep everyone’s best interests in mind. When families believe so much in a school they’re giving their child to—that’s just amazing.”
All five of Colleen’s children—Jack, Nick, Grace, Gabe, and Clementine—graduated from WCA and went on to Hillsdale College, Albion College, Lake Superior State, Hope College, and Aquinas College. “Empathy was so important for me as a mom,” said Colleen. “It was an incredible balance to be mom and principal, but it all worked out beautifully.”
After coming to Hillsdale as a young adult, Colleen never had any doubt that she wanted to raise her family in Hillsdale. “I just love that the College is in our backyard,” she said. “I loved the opportunities for my children through youth groups, tutoring or coaching, and being exposed to Hillsdale College students. The town is beautiful. It’s not a utopia, but we bring to it what we can and do amazing things.”
Outside of WCA, Colleen and her husband, Roger, enjoy boating on Lake St. Clair, live music, traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with their kids. “Our life is our kids, good food, and sunshine,” she concluded. “I feel so blessed to have the team that I do at WCA. This only works because we all believe in it.”
Stephanie Gordon, a lifelong Hillsdale native, is the managing editor of Virtue and Valor: The Official Blog of Hillsdale College. She is married to chiropractor, Dr. Matt Gordon, and has three children – Eloise, Flora, and Jack. She enjoys baking, floating on Baw Beese Lake, Detroit Lions football, and breaking a sweat at the gym.
Published in March 2026
