More Than One Door

Sarah Young earned a WGU credential to move up at the Utah State Board of Education. Years later, that same credential opened a door she never saw coming: a seat at WGU itself.

Sarah could already see where she wanted her career to go. As the K-12 science specialist at the Utah State Board of Education, she had mentors who recognized her potential and encouraged her to look beyond her current role. “You know, we think that you have a future here beyond just the current role that you're filling,” she remembers them telling her.

There was just one thing standing in the way: an additional administrative credential. Their encouragement gave her a reason to start looking seriously at what came next, but finding a program that actually fit her life was its own challenge. Sarah was working full time and raising a preschooler, and most of what she found required intensive daytime or summer coursework that simply wasn't realistic. WGU offered something different. “It allowed me to meet my other commitments but also to still pursue that additional credential,” she said.

No Room for a Summer Intensive

The first few weeks took real adjustment. “My first few weeks were definitely a little bumpy,” she admitted, as she worked out how to carve out dedicated time for school on top of everything already competing for her attention. Her Program Mentor helped her build routines and kept her focused on why she'd enrolled in the first place. “He really was invested in me as a person and wanting to see me be successful,” she said.

Even on less sleep than she would have liked, Sarah says she never seriously questioned whether to keep going.

“I had a really clear goal in mind,” she said. “I knew that pursuing that goal, even when it was hard... was going to benefit my family, and that was enough to keep me going.”

A Two-for-One

That clarity was tested when a demanding project at work began eating into the hours Sarah had set aside for school. Instead of treating the two as competitors for her time, her mentor helped her see the project itself as a way to demonstrate the competencies her program required. “I kind of got a two-for-one,” she said. “Being able to both meet my work commitment, but also be able to demonstrate my learning and understanding to earn my credential.” It was a practical example of exactly why WGU's model works so well for someone who already has years of experience in the field.

Offered the Job—Faster than Expected

Sarah didn't have to wait long to see whether the work would pay off. Within roughly two weeks of earning her credential, a position opened to lead Utah's statewide effort around digital teaching and learning in K-12 education. This time, she met the qualification that had once stood in her way.

She applied. Within 24 hours of interviewing, she had the job. “It was truly a one-to-one experience where the reason I had gone after the credential translated into an improved job opportunity for me that came to fruition within weeks,” she said.

She felt prepared the moment she arrived, pairing her existing experience at the agency with the leadership strategies she'd absorbed through WGU's program. Years later, that work would contribute to something even bigger: Sarah and her team were recognized alongside the governor of Utah for advancements in digital teaching and learning, work that became especially important as schools navigated the shift to remote learning during COVID-19. 

A Full-Circle Return to WGU

Sarah ultimately spent more than 13 years at the Utah State Board of Education supporting K-12 schools across the state. Then another opportunity arrived. This time, it was at WGU.

Sitting and waiting to interview for a position in WGU's Office of the President, she found herself thinking about the credential she'd earned years earlier, and the chain of opportunities it had quietly set in motion. “I wouldn't have been sitting there, and I certainly would not have been qualified to even interview for that job, had it not been for WGU,” she said.

Today, Sarah serves as Lead Policy Advisor at WGU, bringing years of state-level education experience into the university that once helped her take the next step in her own career.