On this episode of the WGU Alumni Podcast, learn how Cole Frandsen-Smith, a 2023 WGU graduate in Human Resource Management, has become a strong champion for education, inclusivity, and the power of community. Also, learn how Cole's life, and that of his family's, has been enriched by the example of his mother and how her referring Cole to WGU has h…

Meet Ebony Gray, a WGU graduate and former president of WGU's Student Nurses Association, share her experiences. From her 13-year tenure at Cedars-Sinai to her leadership roles, Ebony's journey exemplifies the tenacity required to succeed in the dynamic field of healthcare. Takeaways: How Ebony navigated the challenges of nursing with determination…

Meet Jessica Shelley, a WGU alumna who's revolutionizing education and entrepreneurship while balancing family life with five children and supporting her husband's academic journey at WGU. Explore her journey from elementary teacher to Forbes' 30 under 30 powerhouse and discover her groundbreaking educational platform, Dailies, disrupting pre-K thr…

Nontraditional graduate, Washington Native Eric Miller, joins the alumni podcast to share his motivation on his WGU journey, his passion for nursing, and his interesting hobbies such as cross-stitching and running half marathons, more than 100 to date.By WGU Alumni Relations

Recent WGU graduate and current member of the alumni team, Ginny Ersery, joins the podcast to share her thoughts on her recent commencement experience in Chicago, and how things are going in her new role.By WGU Alumni Relations

Recent WGU Graduate, bowling coach, and two-time bowling hall-of-fame inductee Ronald Simms Jr. joins the podcast to share his thoughts on his WGU journey, his experience speaking at WGU's commencement last spring, and how his bowling team challenged him to go back to college thirty years after he quit the first time.…

As we kick off the new year, listen to the latest episode to hear WGU Senior Vice President of Regional Operations, Gene Hayes, and Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Development, Robert Sullivan, share their insights into exciting alumni opportunities in 2024 and beyond.By WGU Alumni Relations

Serial entrepreneur, WGU MBA graduate, and Nashville resident Corey Alexander joins the alumni podcast to share how he manages to run six different business while balancing family and other commitments in the community. A former cornerback with the University of Tennessee and a member of the U.S. Army National Guard, Alexander earned his degree fro…

We are talking alumni events with Michael Daniel from WGU's alumni team. Next up is WGU alumni's annual virtual 5K, the Night Owl Trot. Michael highlights the 5K and the Alumni Celebration, and recaps the Kindness Quest. Visit www.wgu.edu/events for all of the upcoming exciting alumni events.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU College of IT Vice President Paul Bingham and two-time WGU IT graduate Chris Abbey join the alumni podcast to highlight the new Cyber Security Web Series on LinkedIn. Learn about the series, why it's important, and watch the first episode entitled "Risky Business" with Paul and Chris. You can watch the episode here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwqI…

WGU Graduate and small business owner Nathan Todd joins the alumni podcast to share how his business capstone at WGU led him to purchase a local Iowa ice cream business and who he's successfully expanded into three locations.By WGU Alumni Relations

Two-time WGU graduate and recently published author Bill Burns joins the podcast to discuss his journey as a Senior Principal DevOps Engineer at a Fortune 50 company as well as his latest project: publishing his first book.By WGU Alumni Relations

Professional Soccer star and WGU Graduate Samantha Johnson joins the alumni podcast to share her experience earning her degree while competing in the National Women's Soccer League and also how she's using her degree in education to impact kids, making them better and more resilient.By WGU Alumni Relations

Gene Hayes joins the alumni podcast to share WGU’s focus on increasing access and outcomes in higher education. Gene joined WGU in 2020 as Senior Vice President of Regional Operations and is committed to advancing WGU’s mission. In addition to talking about the success of WGU graduates, we talk inspiration, music, and we have a lot of fun with Gene…

WGU grad Amanda Banks is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sports To Suits, LLC. She is also the host of the weekly live show "Sports To Suits", an enterprise sales leader, strategic partnerships creator, and joy enthusiast. She joins the alumni podcast to discuss her WGU journey and life as a successful entrepreneur. The episode also features a special gu…

Raised in Nepal, WGU student Devi Pariyar is fueled with the desire to give back and help the next generation. She’s seen firsthand the importance of compassion, good leadership, and the power education has on changing lives. On this episode she shares her WGU journey and her plans to return to Nepal with her husband to open a school that will help…

WGU Texas was created 10 years ago as a partnership between the state of Texas and WGU to expand access to more Texans. On this episode of the podcast, we visit with WGU's Regional Vice President and WGU Texas Chancellor Linda Battles about the growth in Texas as well as hear from IT grad and Texas resident Chad Welch.…

Diversity and inclusion advocate Carmen Kingston, a leader from Sam’s Club and Walmart, Inc., spoke at WGU’s summer commencement and now joins the alumni podcast to share her impressions at commencement and how she continues to be inspired by life-long learners and achievers, particularly those from underserved and underrepresented populations.…

As WGU honors our veterans in the month of November, we are featuring some of the key figures at WGU who are moving the university from military friendly to military focused. Dave Ammons and Casey Byington from WGU's Veteran's Employee Resource Group (VERGE) join to share how this group helps employees who in turn helps military students and alumni…

A committed lifelong learner, Andre Alfred has leveraged educational opportunities to become a recognized leader in cybersecurity. Andre has held numerous leadership positions at some of the world’s most recognized organizations, including Oracle and Microsoft, and today runs cybersecurity governance of the cloud and AI division at Microsoft. He's …

Two-time WGU business graduate Mark Dimalanta earned his first master's degree from WGU while stationed on a U.S. Air Base in South Korea and his second after relocating to Denver, Colorado. A huge advocate for WGU, Mark, who was the 5,280th graduate in the Mile High State, was recently promoted to Information System Security Manager for a Fortune …

College of IT graduate and award-winning professional Anthony Utt, from Mount Airy, North Carolina, joins the alumni podcast to talk about his passion for software development, his work as an engineering lead at GR0, and his reaction to receiving the 2021 Tech Innovator Award.By WGU Alumni Relations

Two-time WGU graduate Claire Gravenhorst from North Carolina joins the alumni podcast to talk about the lessons she's learned from her professional mentor and how her two business degrees have helped her thrive in the HR space while also keeping her creative dreams alive.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU graduate Marah Jordan joins the alumni podcast to share her excitement for entering her classroom as a first year teacher. She shares her journey as a community college transfer students and why she's re-enrolled at WGU in pursuit of her master's degree in English Language Learning.By WGU Alumni Relations

New York Times bestselling author, blogger, and TV host Jen Hatmaker recently spoke at WGU’s spring commencement and now joins the alumni podcast to recount her experience at commencement, sharing how she continues to be inspired by life-long learners and achievers.By WGU Alumni Relations

Celebrating the incredible growth of WGU Indiana over the past 11 years, the alumni podcast speaks with Regional Vice President and WGU Indiana Chancellor Alison Bell and two-time WGU grad Valerie Wesley to hear how WGU is impacting the state's workforce as well as the incredible successes of Wesley and her team even and especially during the pande…

Former NFL Star Marques Ogden recently spoke at WGU's virtual commencement. On this podcast episode, we catch up with Marques to hear more about his experience participating at commencement and what advice he has for WGU graduates.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU business grad Donna Law joins the alumni podcast to share how she's giving back in her community as well as excelling in her professional career. A strong advocate for adult learners, particularly women, Donna shares her inspiring journey of beating cancer, finishing her degree, and going on to become the Executive Director of Development and G…

Special episode celebrating WGU Washington and their 10th anniversary on the Alumni podcast. WGU's Regional Vice President and Chancellor of WGU Washington, Dr. Tonya Drake, shares insights into the growth and success of the university in the state of Washington as well as the tremendous impact WGU students and grads are making in the state's workf…

WGU MBA IT grad Jonathan Soriano joins the alumni podcast to talk about landing his dream job at Nintendo, how he's mentoring others, and his experience at WGU's last commencement in Seattle.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU Grad Winnie Obilor knows that no matter where one lives in the world, education has a transformative power. And Winnie plans to use her capstone project to provide underprivileged women in her home country DR Congo with the education and skills they need to improve their lives when she returns home this fall.…

WGU College of IT Grad Rashaan Green has overcome a lot of adversities to earn not one but two college degrees from WGU. From high school dropout to IT leader, today Rashaan works at Microsoft as a Principal Security Service Engineering Manager.By WGU Alumni Relations

Two-time WGU graduate Marqus Hutchinson joins the podcast to discuss his career success in the IT field as well why he's referred so many to WGU, including his mother, his brother, several friends, and many professional colleagues.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU alumna and continuing grad Christine Granado joins the alumni podcast to share her extraordinary journey of completing her bachelor's degree while battling cancer. Leaning on her support system, Christine adopted the mantra to do or die trying. Not only did she complete her degree and start a new job, she recently re-enrolled at WGU in pursuit …

Aimee Edwards, WGU’s Director of Community Affairs, joins the Alumni Podcast to share details about WGU’s commitment to increase access to education by making it possible for individuals to improve their lives. Aimee discusses the looming digital divide and how WGU alumni can get involved to make a difference.…

WGU Alumna and fifth grade teacher Jillian Hernandez is a top five finalist for the 2021 Arizona Educational Foundation Teacher of the Year. Jillian joins the podcast to share her platform and reflect on her journey into the classroom and the changes she's made over the years.By WGU Alumni Relations

Accomplished health care executive and WGU MBA alum Robert Cross joins the podcast to share insights into his work at the renowned University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School. The Texas native reflects on the Value Institute of Health and Care as well as sharing his being named to the Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame.…

WGU Alumnus Chris Mumford, who works with the WGU Refer-a-Friend Team, joins the podcast to share with our alumni the many benefits available to those who refer friends and family to the university.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU Continuing Grad Specialist Mary Pugmire joins the podcast to discuss the benefits available to alumni who are continuing at WGU for an additional degree.By WGU Alumni Relations

Dr. Eric Weaver and Daniel Chipping from the Accountable Care Learning Collaborative, which is housed at WGU, join the podcast to share the mission of the ACLC and how the organization is a healthcare industry leader focused on delivering value-based care.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU IT alum and Philadelphia native Shayne Moore joins the alumni podcast to share his IT career journey, his community involvement, and insights into the IT field.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU Course Instructor Dave Ammons and Program Faculty Manager Natalie Hoover join the alumni podcast to talk about their service in the U.S. Military, the first ever employee resource group at WGU dedicated to veterans, and WGU’s support for veteran students and graduates.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU's Chief Operating Officer, David Grow, joins the alumni podcast to talk about the university's growth over the years. He shares insights about WGU's founding and also gives advice to students and alumni.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU alumna Maureen Stover was recently named North Carolina Teacher of the Year. We are honored to have Maureen join the alumni podcast to share her successes as a teacher, her background as an intelligence officer with the U.S. Air Force, and how she’s drawing upon the WGU model in her own classroom today.…

WGU's Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Jason Thompson is back on the podcast sharing more about his background as well as his important role at WGU. Hear Jason's struggle overcoming dyslexia, growing up in Japan, and winning a student body election in college which was plagued with controversy and contention due to race.…

HR professional and WGU alum Todd Good joins the podcast to talk about his career success with IBM. Good, who has been promoted six times in eight years, shares his secret to advancing his career. Also, WGU Course Instructor from the College of Business, Jim Jividen, imparts some timely wisdom for WGU students and graduates.…

WGU IT grad Cintya Auld shares her transformative story of overcoming major life challenges to go on to become a leader in cybersecurity. Also get to know Alumni team members Natalie Carter and Scott Baker as they share their experiences of supporting WGU's growing alumni base.By WGU Alumni Relations

WGU IT grad and business owner Spencer Wade joins the podcast to talk about alumni ambassador opportunities as well as his successes in founding and running his business, Lift Conversions. Also get to know alumni team members Beau Jones and Wendi Gerardis as they join and share their experiences in supporting WGU's growing alumni base.…

Two-time WGU grad from the Show-Me State, Matt West, joins the podcast to talk about his career success as well as his recent appointment to the marketers nonprofit St. Louis board. Also, the first of a three-party series, we'll introduce you to the alumni team starting first with Krysten Gross and April Torres Chew and they'll share how they suppo…

Two-time WGU grad Doug Vigliano from Austin, Texas, joins the podcast to talk about his recent graduation experiences as well as his new promotion. Also, Bonnie Monteleone from WGU's Career & Professional Development team shares some great insights and resources available to our alumni.By WGU Alumni Relations