Testimonials

Ervin Willis (veteran), College of Information Technology, Graduate

"It’s been vetted by the Federal Government, it’s eligible for the GI bill, and that should ring in the ears of any veteran saying that’s going to save you a great deal of money. When you come, you’re going to get the same credential that any other student would get from a credible institution. Plus you’re not going to spend a lot of the same money, and perhaps not even the same amount of time because of the flexibility. Once again, it’s something I would recommend to any veteran, and as vets, we’re all about results. So I think that’s one way to get them is to come to an institution like this."

Anthony Sanchez, College of Information Technology, Graduate

"My children are my motivation. I have two sons in elementary school, respectively 8 & 10 years old, and I have a 2 year old daughter. Although I have already reached pretty high levels in my career, working as a Senior Software Engineer and DBA for the likes of Intel Corporation, HP, 3Com, etc. and for the State of CA… Always having been just shy of my degree was a problem and I knew that it would surface as a question from my kids. I felt that in order to set a good example, I needed it completed. Plus the memory of my late father telling me how much better my life could be, not only for me but for those I loved too, simply through graduating from college. He was right, and WGU was the right choice for me.

Working with my mentor is what brought me through to the end. I could not have finished without the help of my mentor who kept me focused and on track while I juggled the very busy lifestyle I already have. For me, as a full time employee of Intel Corporation (at the time) working leisurely on my WGU work was not an option. I had to be very focused and schedule oriented to make any commitment to WGU. But it worked! Independent Study helped me and guidance from my mentor helped me stay on track and meet commitments.

After I left Intel Corporation and started with Matrix Innovative Systems, Inc. it was a whole new ball game; with Matrix I had greater flexibility and could write papers or perform pre-assessments when I had down-time. Independent Study became much more fun when the pressures of the Fortune 500 subsided. Starbucks WIFI spots became a second home for me as I finished my degree.

And now for the first time I’m a CTO (Chief Technical Officer) of a corporation; after leaving Intel Corporation where I was a Senior Software Engineer and DBA for nearly five years, I took up my first role as an executive while still remaining in a much loved technical capacity. I always knew that I would one day be a CIO or CTO, based on my background, and it has finally happened for me.

My degree immediately facilitated this process, as there was no question as to my abilities when cuopled with my extensive and successful professional experience.

I would recommend WGU, and I already have. My wife has earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Information Technology. I also have sent several colleagues from Intel Corporation to WGU. I want to say that I truly owe my thanks to Gwendolyn Britton for having been such a fierce and loyal friend during her mentorship. She kept me onboard and focused enough to help me reach my goal. I owe her a debt of gratitude."

Todd Wood, MBA, Graduate

"What is great about the program here at WGU is that whatever you have going on at the time, the program is flexible enough to work around that. I often did much of my coursework in the middle of the night. I didn’t have to do that, but that’s just what I chose to do because that was the most comfortable for me. . . WGU has allowed me to do something that I never thought I could do before. This particular model is so innovative that it allows all of us to come together and to achieve those educational goals that we currently have."

Ron Whitson, College of Business, Graduate

"What the WGU experience has meant to myself and my family: For me, mainly a sense of completion and accomplishment. When I was researching online universities, one of the things I really liked was that WGU actually had a graduation ceremony that people could attend. I remember watching the ceremony online and thinking, “That would be a neat thing to be able to do.”, and I’ve achieved that. So for myself, it’s a nice sense of achievement. For my family, I have two daughters who will be starting college very soon, and it just became kind of important to me to be able to have college completed before I told them they had to go. The biggest advantage of coming to WGU for someone is that you will be able to complete your assignments and access your courses no matter where you are. If you’re out visiting someone, if you’re on vacation, if you’re up at the office late one night, you can log in, you can check your messages, you can get on the communities, you can chat with some of your fellow students, and you can get the information that you need. The reason that I chose WGU, (there are actually several reasons) my job currently requires a lot of travel, so the idea of having an online university, where I can log in, when I’m on the road, and actually complete my assignments was pretty important. I also liked the fact that they I had a mentor assigned to me, someone I could talk to, and could help me out, and point me in the right direction when I got stuck, and also to provide some motivation when needed. So that was a big part of it as well."

Lisa Santiago, Teachers College, Graduate

"WGU is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had compared to any of the other colleges and universities I’ve gone to, just because it’s more of a family, team-work. It’s exactly what I needed. People were there when I needed them, and the information was there and ready anytime…"

Read Profile