WGU Alumni Podcast

Staff Sergeant Destiny Hunter of the U.S. Army Reserves shares her journey as a WGU Distinguished Graduate and founder of Kuinua Tech, a company creating innovative technology solutions with military efficiency while supporting veterans and underserved populations.What You'll Learn in This Episode:How Destiny completed her WGU master's program while actively serving in the militaryThe origin story behind Kuinua Tech and its mission to uplift overlooked communitiesWhy she believes ethical AI must be driven by diverse teams and human accountability

Christie Jandora, a 2024 Distinguished Graduate at WGU, is the Director of Emergency Trauma Services at Ascension, overseeing 500 associates across five Florida counties. She joins the WGU Alumni podcast to share her journey that has been marked by resilience, passion, and purpose.  On the latest episode, learn how Christie:Plans to make an impact as the President-Elect of the Florida Emergency Nurses Association Leads multiple ERs, including a Level 1 trauma center and freestanding emergency departments Pursued nursing after losing both parents during her first semester of college Rose through nursing ranks—from LPN to master's degree—while raising her children as a single parent Completed her master's during COVID while working 50–60 hours a week And much, much more. 

Anna and Chris Decker share their inspiring journey of completing WGU degrees together while raising two small children and working full-time jobs. Their competitive spirit, teamwork approach, and unwavering support for each other enabled them to achieve academic success despite numerous challenges.On this episode you'll learn how the Deckers:• Balanced parenting duties while taking turns studying and sitting for exams• Used late nights and time between infant duties to complete coursework• Leveraged employer benefits to make education financially feasible• Applied newly gained knowledge immediately to their professional roles that led to career promotion • Discovered new learning techniques that translated to workplace efficiency

3-time WGU graduate Juan Longoria shares his inspiring journey of education and mentorship, illustrating that it's never too late to pursue one's dreams. His dedication to helping others through his nonprofit, REVJLO Charities, and the new Lo Nuestro Collective embodies the spirit of lifelong learning and community upliftment.On this episode you'll hear about: • Juan's educational achievements and commitment to WGU • The vital role of mentorship in career advancement • Balancing personal life and professional ambitions • The importance of lifelong learning and community support • That it's never too late to pursue your dreams

Kristian Sevison's journey reveals how pursuing education later in life can lead to personal growth and newfound opportunities. He shares his motivation for returning to school, overcoming personal fears, and the invaluable lessons he's learned along the way.• Unpacking the theme of it's never too late • Kris's motivation for returning to school• Overcoming self-doubt and personal fears • Discovering the power of WGU's competency-based education • Importance of military experience in shaping his journey • The desire to mentor others   • Importance of lifelong learning and education Join us as we explore Kris's inspiring path and how it paved the way for both personal and professional fulfillment.

From teenage mom to chief nursing officer, first-generation college graduate Shanell Murphy shares her inspiring story of resilience and success and how her commitment to nursing education has paved the way. On this podcast, we explore her growth from her early days in Charleston, South Carolina, to her healthcare leadership chapters in Cleveland, Ohio, including her involvement with the American Nursing Association. Shanell has earned three degrees from WGU – her bachelor's of science in nursing, her master's in business administration with concentration in healthcare management, and most recently her master's in nursing leadership and management. In September of 2024, Shanell was named a distinguished graduate of WGU.She is currently completing a book that documents her experiences and next has plans to embark on pursuing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice. 

Discover the transformative power of education through the story of Skye Gilham, a WGU distinguished graduate who has dedicated herself to empowering her Blackfeet Native American community in Montana. As Skye reveals her journey from academia to serving her community at Blackfeet Community College and beyond, she highlights the breathtaking beauty and challenges of life in Northwest Montana. Her story is a testament to the impact of education, showcasing how integrating online learning and technology can uplift communities.

Join us as we celebrate the journey of distinguished graduate Kevin Phelps, Glendale's visionary CEO and city manager, as he transitioned from a successful entrepreneur to a public service leader. Discover how Kevin's return to education at Western Governors University, leveraging its unique competency-based model, played a role in his career evolution. His story is a testament to the idea that it's never too late to pursue education and new opportunities, blending professional wisdom with academic growth to inspire others with his resilience and adaptability.We explore the exciting future of Glendale, Arizona, under Kevin's leadership, to unveil  ambitious plans to transform the city into a dynamic entertainment hub. We dive into the details of the state's largest resort project, set to open in 2025, complete with a concert amphitheater, a lagoon with beaches, and the U.S.'s first Mattel adventure park. This engaging conversation is filled with leadership wisdom and personal growth insights from Kevin. From sharing career advice and reflecting on the significance of mentorship to contemplating retirement and future endeavors, Kevin's experiences offer invaluable lessons on adaptability, fostering positive organizational culture, and the power of strong relationships. His reflections on friendships and community support reinforce the importance of surrounding oneself with passionate individuals to achieve greatness. Listen as Kevin's story unfolds, providing a blueprint for lifelong learning and success.

What if you could redefine success on your terms, no matter where you start from? Join us on the latest episode of the WGU Alumni Podcast as Linzie Starr III, an IT professional and recent WGU distinguished graduate honoree, who climbed the ranks without formal education, shares his inspiring journey and professional advice. From an accidental foray into the tech world to becoming the Director of Program Management at the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Linzie's story is a testament to resilience and the power of forging your own path. His experience in IT at Kaiser Permanente and Southern California Edison ignited a passion that would eventually lead him back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic, culminating in both a bachelor's degree and an MBA in IT management from WGU.In this episode, we also embrace themes of balance and gratitude, discussing how intense work should coexist with periods of rest and the joy of life's simpler pleasures. Linzie speaks candidly about standing firm in professional environments, advocating for innovation and efficiency through open dialogue and constructive conflict. 

What does it mean to truly embrace the mantra "Never Too Late"? Hear the inspiring journey of Roxanne Thalman, a change maker, US Air Force veteran,   former elected official, and proud WGU alumna.  A standout WGU distinguished graduate, Roxanne leads in the workforce as well as within the community, where she's the director and long time volunteer of the largest 4th of July Parade in Texas. On this episode of the WGU Alumni Podcast, you'll learn about her transformative work in change management and community service as well as her embodying the essence of pursuing dreams at any stage of life. 

What happens when a determined educator channels her passion into transformative advocacy? Meet Adriana Richard, a distinguished graduate from WGU, who has turned her life experiences into a force for change. On this episode of the WGU Alumni podcast, we explore Adriana's journey from shifting to an online education during the pandemic to founding a national organization, T1D to the Third, which supports children with Type 1 Diabetes. Her involvement with Girls on the Run showcases her dedication to mentoring young girls, encouraging them to believe in themselves and their resilience. 

Jessica Shelley, a soon to be four-time WGU graduate, rejoins the WGU Alumni Podcast following the recognition of being named a 2024 WGU Distinguished Graduate. The CEO and co-founder of Dailies, shares her journey as a passionate educator to a thriving entrepreneur. Her story is proof that it's never too late to chase your dreams.We explore the motivations and challenges Jessica faced while pursuing multiple master's degrees, balancing family responsibilities, and transitioning from teaching to entrepreneurship. 

Imagine facing immense pressure in your job during a global pandemic and deciding it's time to make a bold career change. That's exactly what Dr. Brady McNulty did, transitioning from pharmacy to cybersecurity. In this episode of the WGU Alumni Podcast, we explore Brady's inspiring story of resilience and reinvention. Hear how his interest in hacking culture and his Navy background fueled his passion for a new career, all while receiving unwavering support from his wife.This episode highlights Brady's personal growth proving that it's never too late to chase your dreams.

On this new season of the WGU Alumni Podcast, we're sharing the inspiring stories of our distinguished graduates who went back to school to pursue a degree and better their lives. Over the next few months, you'll hear graduates who took control of their future and decided it's “never too late”.We're so excited for you to meet them. We have stories of pharmacists who became cybersecurity experts, teachers in Title 1 schools making a difference, entrepreneurs chasing their dreams, and so many graduates having a huge impact in their communities, and much much more.As always, I'll be joining you on this journey. I'm your host Jeff - a proud WGU graduate, leader of alumni engagement at WGU and I'm also a serial podcaster…We hope the next several episodes will inspire you too to realize “it's never too late” to go after your dreams.

On this episode of the WGU Alumni Podcast, learn how Cole Frandsen-Smith, a 2023 WGU graduate in Human Resource Management, has become a strong champion for education, inclusivity, and the power of community.Also, learn how Cole's life, and that of his family's, has been enriched by the example of his mother and how her referring Cole to WGU has had a ripple effect upon many others. 

Meet Ebony Gray, a WGU graduate and former president of WGU's Student Nurses Association, share her experiences. From her 13-year tenure at Cedars-Sinai to her leadership roles, Ebony's journey exemplifies the tenacity required to succeed in the dynamic field of healthcare.Takeaways: How Ebony navigated the challenges of nursing with determinationWhy the Julie Aiken Hansen scholarship was more than just financial aidThe influence of historical figures and personal mentors led to her to career success 

Meet Jessica Shelby, a WGU alumna who's revolutionizing education and entrepreneurship while balancing family life with five children and supporting her husband's academic journey at WGU. Explore her journey from elementary teacher to Forbes' 30 under 30 powerhouse and discover her groundbreaking educational platform, Dailies, disrupting pre-K through 12th-grade learning. Delve into the integration of technology into education, where Jessica unveils Dailies' connection to WGU's competency-based learning model, emphasizing personalized educational pathways. This conversation offers insights into empowering learners and parents, reshaping education paradigms, and the joy of tech industry recognition.Takeaways:How Jessica's educational platform, Dailies, is reshaping pre-K through 12th-grade learning by integrating technology and personalized pathways.Ways the integration of technology into education offers opportunities for empowering both learners and parents.The transformative power of lifelong learning.Jessica Shelley Bio:Oregon Native Jessica Shelley is a wife, mother of five small children, a former elementary school teacher, a Forbes 30 under 30 lister, an entrepreneur and business owner, and three-time WGU graduate, about to be four.   In 2020, Jessica co-founded and launched Dailies, an innovative educational platform that provides gamification and personalized learning for pre-K through 12th grade learners.

Nontraditional graduate, Washington Native Eric Miller, joins the alumni podcast to share his motivation on his WGU journey, his passion for nursing, and his interesting hobbies such as cross-stitching and running half marathons, more than 100 to date. 

Recent WGU graduate and current member of the alumni team, Ginny Ersery, joins the podcast to share her thoughts on her recent commencement experience in Chicago, and how things are going in her new role. 

Recent WGU Graduate, bowling coach, and two-time bowling hall-of-fame inductee Ronald Simms Jr. joins the podcast to share his thoughts on his WGU journey, his experience speaking at WGU's commencement last spring, and how his bowling team challenged him to go back to college thirty years after he quit the first time. 

As we kick off the new year,  listen to the latest episode to hear WGU Senior Vice President of Regional Operations, Gene Hayes, and Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Development, Robert Sullivan, share their insights into exciting alumni opportunities in 2024 and beyond. 

Serial entrepreneur, WGU MBA graduate, and  Nashville resident Corey Alexander joins the alumni podcast to share  how he manages to run six different business while balancing family and other commitments in the community.  A former cornerback with the University of Tennessee and a member of the U.S. Army National Guard, Alexander earned his degree from WGU back in 2018 before going on to earn his doctorate degree. 

We are talking alumni events with Michael Daniel from WGU's alumni team. Next up is WGU alumni's annual virtual 5K, the Night Owl Trot. Michael highlights the 5K and the Alumni Celebration, and recaps the Kindness Quest. Visit www.wgu.edu/events for all of the upcoming exciting alumni events. 

WGU College of IT Vice President Paul Bingham and two-time WGU IT graduate Chris Abbey join the alumni podcast to highlight the new Cyber Security Web Series on LinkedIn. Learn about the series, why it's important, and watch the first episode entitled "Risky Business" with Paul and Chris. You can watch the episode here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwqIyvFQH48

WGU Graduate and small business owner Nathan Todd joins the alumni podcast to share how his business capstone at WGU led him to purchase a local Iowa ice cream business and who he's successfully expanded into three locations.

Two-time WGU graduate and recently published author Bill Burns joins the podcast to discuss his journey as a Senior Principal DevOps Engineer at a Fortune 50 company as well as his latest project: publishing his first book. 

Professional Soccer star and WGU Graduate Samantha Johnson joins the alumni podcast to share her experience earning her degree while competing in the National Women's Soccer League and also how she's using her degree in education to impact kids, making them better and more resilient.

Gene Hayes joins the alumni podcast to share WGU's focus on increasing access and outcomes in higher education. Gene joined WGU in 2020 as Senior Vice President of Regional Operations and is committed to advancing WGU's mission. In addition to talking about the  success of WGU graduates, we talk inspiration, music, and we have a lot of fun with Gene and his “Southern” accent.

WGU grad Amanda Banks is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sports To Suits, LLC. She is also the host of the weekly live show "Sports To Suits", an enterprise sales leader, strategic partnerships creator, and joy enthusiast. She joins the alumni podcast to discuss her WGU journey and life as a successful entrepreneur. The episode also features a special guest. 

Raised in Nepal, WGU student Devi Pariyar is fueled with the desire to give back and help the next generation. She's seen firsthand the importance of compassion, good leadership, and the power education has on changing lives. On this episode she shares her WGU journey  and her plans to return to Nepal with her husband to open a school that will help underprivileged kids.  

WGU Texas was created 10 years ago as a partnership between the state of Texas and WGU to expand access to more Texans. On this episode of the podcast, we visit with WGU's Regional Vice President and WGU Texas Chancellor Linda Battles about the growth in Texas as well as hear from IT grad and Texas resident Chad Welch. 

Diversity and inclusion advocate Carmen Kingston, a leader from Sam's Club and Walmart, Inc., spoke at WGU's summer commencement and now joins the alumni podcast to share her impressions at commencement and how she continues to be inspired by life-long learners and achievers, particularly those from underserved and underrepresented populations.

As WGU honors our veterans in the month of November, we are featuring some of the key figures at WGU who are moving the university from military friendly to military focused. Dave Ammons and Casey Byington from WGU's Veteran's Employee Resource Group (VERGE) join to share how this group helps employees who in turn helps military students and alumni. WGU's latest effort toward becoming military focused includes the work of our Military Outreach team, featuring Amanda Bayatpoor and Jeff Harley.

A committed lifelong learner, Andre Alfred has leveraged educational opportunities to become a recognized leader in cybersecurity.Andre has held numerous leadership positions at some of the world's most recognized organizations, including Oracle and Microsoft, and today runs cybersecurity governance of the cloud and AI division at Microsoft. He's currently pursuing his doctorate degree at George Washington University and remains active with WGU, serving on WGU Washington's Advisory Board. 

Two-time WGU business graduate Mark Dimalanta earned his first master's degree from WGU while stationed on a U.S. Air Base in South Korea and his second after relocating to Denver, Colorado. A huge advocate for WGU, Mark, who was the 5,280th graduate in the Mile High State, was recently promoted to Information System Security Manager for a Fortune 500 company. 

College of IT graduate and award-winning professional  Anthony Utt, from Mount Airy, North Carolina, joins the alumni podcast to talk about his passion for software development, his work as an engineering lead at GR0, and his reaction to receiving the 2021 Tech Innovator Award. 

Two-time WGU graduate Claire Gravenhorst from North Carolina joins the alumni podcast to talk about the lessons she's learned from her professional mentor and how her two business degrees have helped her thrive in the HR space while also keeping her creative dreams alive. 

WGU graduate Marah Jordan joins the alumni podcast to share her excitement for entering her classroom as a first year teacher. She shares her journey as a community college transfer students and why she's re-enrolled at WGU in pursuit of her master's degree in English Language Learning.

New York Times bestselling author, blogger, and TV host Jen Hatmaker recently spoke at WGU's spring commencement and now joins the alumni podcast to recount her experience at commencement, sharing how she continues to be inspired by life-long learners and achievers.

Celebrating the incredible growth of WGU Indiana over the past 11 years, the alumni podcast speaks with Regional Vice President and WGU Indiana Chancellor Alison Bell and two-time WGU grad Valerie Wesley to hear how WGU is impacting the state's workforce as well as the incredible successes of Wesley and her team even and especially during the pandemic.

Former NFL Star Marques Ogden recently spoke at WGU's virtual commencement. On this podcast episode, we catch up with Marques to hear more about his experience participating at commencement and what advice he has for WGU graduates.

WGU business grad Donna Law joins the alumni podcast to share how she's giving back in her community as well as excelling in her professional career. A strong advocate for adult learners, particularly women, Donna shares her inspiring journey of beating cancer, finishing her degree, and going on to become the Executive Director of Development and Government Relations at Southern Utah University. 

Special episode celebrating WGU Washington and their 10th anniversary on the Alumni podcast. WGU's Regional Vice President and Chancellor of WGU Washington, Dr. Tonya Drake, shares insights into the growth and success of the university in the state of Washington as well as the tremendous impact WGU students and grads are making in the state's workforce. Current student Nitasha Lewis shares her story of overcoming challenges and barriers and how she's making a difference to encourage the next generation to successfully pursue a college degree.

WGU MBA IT grad Jonathan Soriano joins the alumni podcast to talk about landing his dream job at Nintendo, how he's mentoring others, and his experience at WGU's last commencement in Seattle.

WGU Grad Winnie Obilor knows that no matter where one lives in the world, education has a transformative power. And Winnie plans to use her capstone project to provide underprivileged women in her home country DR Congo with the education and skills they need to improve their lives when she returns home this fall. 

WGU College of IT Grad Rashaan Green has overcome a lot of adversities to earn not one but two college degrees from WGU. From high school dropout to IT leader, today Rashaan works at Microsoft as a Principal Security Service Engineering Manager.

Two-time WGU graduate Marqus Hutchinson joins the podcast to discuss his career success in the IT field as well why he's referred so many to WGU, including his mother, his brother, several friends, and many professional colleagues.

WGU alumna and continuing grad Christine Granado joins the alumni podcast to share her extraordinary journey of completing her bachelor's degree while battling cancer. Leaning on her support system, Christine adopted the mantra to do or die trying. Not only did she complete her degree and start a new job, she recently re-enrolled at WGU in pursuit of master's degree.

Aimee Edwards, WGU’s Director of Community Affairs, joins the Alumni Podcast to share details about WGU’s commitment to increase access to education by making it possible for individuals to improve their lives. Aimee discusses the looming digital divide and how WGU alumni can get involved to make a difference.

Accomplished health care executive and WGU MBA alum Robert Cross joins the podcast to share insights into his work at the renowned University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School. The Texas native reflects on the Value Institute of Health and Care as well as sharing his being named to the Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame.

WGU Alumna and fifth grade teacher Jillian Hernandez is a top five finalist for the 2021 Arizona Educational Foundation Teacher of the Year. Jillian joins the podcast to share her platform and reflect on her journey into the classroom and the changes she's made over the years.