At the time he was thinking of attending another university, but after his boss recommended WGU Missouri and shared her success story, Matt made the decision to start his own WGU journey.

The same month that Matt enrolled, he and his wife celebrated the birth of their first child, and during his second term, his father passed away suddenly. Matt credits WGU’s flexibility and self-paced format for allowing him to handle these life changing events, his nursing job, the coffee shop that he and his wife own and his education at the same time.

“Despite all of these incredibly taxing and life defining events, I was still able to complete my degree at WGU due to its unmatched flexibility, provision of resources and the support of my mentor,” Matt said.

Matt managed his busy life by scheduling time for family, work and to complete his lessons. WGU’s competency-based model allowed him to complete lessons at his own pace. He could apply the knowledge he already had from work to complete some lessons faster, while also taking time to slow down through tough concepts

“I set clear expectations with my boss, my family and myself about what time commitments were needed and what my goal was for completion,” Matt said.

A month before completing his degree, Matt was promoted to director of nursing at Cox Medical Center. In this role he oversees the emergency, critical care and progressive care units.

“I am in my dream job!” Matt said. “WGU helped get me there through proving my competency and my passion to grow. I feel I am prepared for anything now. In my current role, I am comfortable in my leadership ability and feel competent leading multiple departments. I am able to better provide for my family due to my degree and prepare my little girl for a bright future.”