Partnering with Lifetime™ to highlight outstanding alumnae.

WGU and Lifetime™ recently went looking for stories of amazing women doing groundbreaking things with their WGU degrees. We didn't have to look far. Nominations came pouring in—from their fellow students and alumni, from WGU faculty and staff, from spouses and children, from colleagues and employers and community members. Stories of innovators. Leaders. Game-changers. We received stories in the hundreds, and as part of the #SheDidThat campaign, Lifetime™ selected four of these outstanding women to be featured on television and in social media.  Read more about their achievements below.

Cybersecurity is more than a fast-growing job field—it's crucial to our national security. Sarah is an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force who is making sure the people who protect our country are ready to protect its cyber safety as well. She is the Air Force's only active-duty female  cyber warfare instructor, setting a strong example and motivating other women to enter cybersecurity professions. She is also extremely involved in volunteer and community work, having given well over 3,000 hours of her time to nonprofit organizations at various military assignments around the world.

Community involvement empowers. especially for those who may not always feel they have a lot to give. Michelle worked at an alternative high school with exceptionally high poverty rate, where she created a leadership program for students who haven't been successful in a traditional setting. Through service projects with organizations like Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, these students thrive. They also create and lead fun activities at school throughout the year. By giving back, they feel empowered to succeed in ways they may not have otherwise. 

"Women helping women." That's how Krystal describes the organization she founded to support the personal and professional development of women in Denver. It started as a way to network after she moved and found herself in a new city with no friends and no connections. The Women of Denver program has now grown to a network of thousands since its launch in 2014, helping women advocate for themselves in the workplace, build their business acumen, increase their confidence, and develop a network of other high-achieving women.

Laurie is a forensic nurse who specializes in child maltreatment. During her two decades in the field, she has become a widely recognized expert in sexual assault and human trafficking. One of the many ways she has used this expertise to benefit some of the most vulnerable populations in society is training healthcare providers how to deliver trauma-informed, victim-centered care to survivors of abuse and trafficking. As a result of her work, health providers have been able to identify and intervene in cases of human trafficking—resulting in several children being rescued.