WGU ALUMNI
Hoo's Who at WGU
Meet inspiring Night Owl graduates and discover their stories.
Meet Todd Snook
Bachelor of Science, Business Management | 2026
Master of Business Administration | Current
Maryland
40 Years in the Making
Todd Snook first started college in 1986 before putting school aside to open his own business. Nearly four decades later—with encouragement from his family and a WGU graduate in the family to show him the way—he returned to finish what he started.
When Todd Snook first enrolled in college, Ronald Reagan was president, Top Gun was in theaters, and the year was 1986.
Todd took seven or eight classes at his local community college, choosing courses that could help him accomplish something he already knew he wanted to do: open his own business.
Then he did exactly that.
School went on hold, the business took off, and Todd spent the next 38 years building a career as a self-employed business owner.
Still, something remained unfinished.
“I felt like something was missing,” Todd said. “I hadn’t finished what I started.”
Eventually, the timing began to change. Todd’s son, Aaron, joined the family business, giving Todd more flexibility in his schedule. Aaron also happened to know something about WGU—he had already earned his own WGU master’s degree in business.
With encouragement from Aaron and Todd’s wife, Tina, Todd decided it was finally time.
Two years later, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from WGU.
A Model—and Support System—That Worked
After nearly four decades away from college, Todd needed a program that could fit the life he had already built.
As a business owner who travels frequently for both work and pleasure, WGU’s flexibility was a major draw. He could study and complete assessments when his schedule allowed, from wherever he happened to be. The cost also stood out for Todd, who said it was very low compared with other colleges he considered.
But returning to school still came with challenges.
Early in his program, Todd experienced multiple deaths in his family that temporarily slowed his progress. Later, difficult coursework tested him in different ways. Each time, he learned to lean on the people around him.
When College Algebra proved especially challenging, his daughter-in-law, Chloe, stepped in to help him work through the material. Aaron helped Todd navigate the WGU experience, while his Program Mentor, Tara, regularly checked in with encouragement.
“I would get these random texts saying, ‘How are you doing, Todd? I’m thinking about you. I believe in you,’” Todd said.
With their support, Todd kept coming back to the same strategy: focus on one class at a time, ask for help when he needed it, and keep moving forward.
Even the family technology became part of the journey. Aaron gave Todd the camera he used for his proctored assessments—and that same camera has now made its way through five people and six WGU degrees, perhaps making it the most academically accomplished camera around.
Then came the capstone. Todd submitted his first draft expecting revisions.
Instead, it was approved.
He immediately called Aaron.
“I think I’m finished,” Todd told him.
After 40 years, he was.
Experience, Now Backed by a Degree
Todd’s career did not suddenly change after graduation. He had already spent his life working for himself.
What changed was Todd.
He says WGU strengthened his written and verbal communication, professionalism, and ability to interact with others. Most importantly, it gave him a new level of confidence.
“Being able to know that I have a degree—not just that I’ve had the experience and I should be able to earn a degree—was a big part of it for me,” he said.
His family saw the work behind it, too: evenings, weekends, and lunch hours spent studying. Now Todd and Aaron share something else alongside the family business—they are both WGU graduates.
And Todd didn’t stop with the degree he waited nearly four decades to finish.
He has already returned to WGU for his MBA, speeding through the program’s courses, with plans to finish sometime in 2027.
For anyone else who started college years—or even decades—ago before life took them somewhere else, Todd has some advice:
“You probably have a degree in experience. You just need to sit down and go through the process to finish your degree. It’s not as hard as you might think if you divide it up and take one class at a time.”
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