With my MBA, I wanted to learn how I could capitalize and utilize my resources to help more children. How can I create a bigger outreach program to help even more children that live in underprivileged countries to provide the gift of better hearing? That was my whole purpose. I don’t want to measure my life by the days I’ve lived, but by the smiles I leave behind, or what I call "hearing smiles."

Justin’s journey to complete his online MBA program at WGU was not without its challenges. Because his travel schedule was so rigorous, he would complete most of his coursework studying on airplanes and in hotels in places like Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Despite his hectic schedule and with the help of his mentor, he was able to complete his degree in two and a half years.

“Western Governors University was probably literally one of the best things that ever happened to me,” says Justin. “It’s almost like Western Governors University took me fishing. They could have caught me a fish, and fed me for one day. But they taught me how to fish and fed me and now they fed me for a whole lifetime.”

On February 12, 2011, Justin was one of the student speakers at WGU’s winter commencement ceremony in Salt Lake City and delivered a commencement speech in front of thousands of people. He is determined that his hearing disability will never hold him back from his goals. “I may have a deafness, but that deafness doesn’t have me. Anyone may have a certain challenge: physically, emotionally, and psychologically but that doesn’t necessarily have to get in the way of getting an education. It’s never too late to get an education.”