Skip to content Skip to Live Chat

Amanda Wilken: 30,000th Graduate in California

WGU honors 30,000th graduate in California

Dec 27, 2022

When Amanda Wilken, an Administrative Technician with the City of Vacaville, completed her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Human Resource Management degree, she had no idea that she would be WGU’s 30,000th graduate in California. Amanda embodies the WGU Night Owl Spirit - motivated and ambitious - which is how she juggled working long hours at work while completing her degree.

Please give a brief description of your background.

I am the first graduate in my immediate family. I have worked for the City of Vacaville since I was 18, and I am now 34. I realized that my career goals needed me to further my education which was the main factor in returning to school.

How does it feel to be our 30,000th graduate?

What were you thinking when you walked into the meeting? It feels great to be the 30,000th graduate! I had no clue what was happening when I walked into the lobby for the meeting and thought we were meeting a new hire at work! I was shocked and happy to see it was a little celebration for being the 30,000th graduate since I didn’t do anything to celebrate my accomplishment.

How did you balance work and school?

Balancing work and school was difficult for me at first. I started when the pandemic hit and was sent to work from home full-time. I struggled to work on the computer all day and stay on the computer all night for school. Once I could return to the office at work, I started to get into a groove and completed some classes. Then, in my last term, I had a significant change in my life and no longer had a place at my house to meet my exams. I told our director at work what was going on, and she graciously let me come in on our off days to study/take my exams. Having that support from my employer was so helpful. Without that, I wouldn’t have finished 12 classes in 1 term. I was very grateful for the support I received.

 

Can you share your future career and life goals?

My future career goals are to move up within the City of Vacaville. I love working there and would like to eventually have a position where I can use the knowledge I have obtained from my education. I plan on returning for my master's at some point, and it will for sure be with WGU.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

I’m not trying to sound arrogant, but I think my biggest inspiration is myself! I overcame a lot in 2022 and was determined to get to where I wanted to be. After going through a significant life change early in the year, I was even more determined and didn’t let anything stop me from achieving my goals.

What’s your advice for our 35,000th graduate?

I advise anyone working on their degree to join the Facebook groups! I joined the Facebook WGU Accelerators group it was beneficial. I would search for the class I was in, see what others had to say about the course, and apply their advice to how I would study. Also, create a timeline and stick to it. If I wanted to finish a class in a week, I would write it on my calendar, break up the course into sections, and ensure I followed that schedule for the entire week.

Would you recommend WGU to your family and friends?

Yes! I have recommended WGU to lots of people already and had a friend decide to go for her master's at WGU because of it. It is excellent for working individuals. I needed something where I could log in at the time that worked best for me, and this was the best school for that.

To learn more about WGU’s human resource and business degree programs, visit here. WGU’s business courses offer real-world application, the ability to graduate faster, and industry relevancy so you can pursue your career goals.

For media or other inquiries, contact Loretta at 951.554.6846 or loretta.vandivier@wgu.edu.  

Recommended Articles

Take a look at other articles from WGU. Our articles feature information on a wide variety of subjects, written with the help of subject matter experts and researchers who are well-versed in their industries. This allows us to provide articles with interesting, relevant, and accurate information.