Staff Spotlight: Tira Wilkerson
Title: Enrollment Counselor
Department: College of Business
Hometown: St. Louis
How long have you been working at WGU Missouri? I started in May of 2017, next month with be a year!
What did you do before you started at WGU Missouri? I worked at Serco as a Verifications Specialist. Serco is a worldwide company that services federal, state and local governments. They specialize in public service provision for Health, Transport, Justice, Immigration, Defense, and Citizens Services. As a Verification Specialist, I would assist customers seeking to be insured through Medicare or Medicaid and help them through the application process.
What was your proudest moment at WGU Missouri? My proudest moment is being able to get students in their program each month. There are many steps in the enrollment process and getting them to that last piece is a big deal. In those moments, I feel that I have accomplished something for both the student and me. If students are adamant about getting started at a particular time, I am glad I can help them keep the momentum going. I can be very competitive with myself, and I enjoy meeting the goals that students have in a timely matter.
What is your favorite thing about working at WGU Missouri? My favorite thing about my job as an Enrollment Counselor for WGU is the ability to connect with people all over the world and hear their story. Naturally, I am an introvert and working for WGU has taught me how to communicate with all kinds of people and to branch out of my comfort zone. I enjoy seeing that although each student has different backgrounds, they all have one common goal and that is to further their education.
What has surprised you most about working for WGU Missouri? The flexibility of WGU Missouri surprises me daily. Recently, I started the enrollment process myself to get a Master's in Management and Leadership and have had a journey like so many of our student's do. I was super excited to get started and ended up having to move my start date back a month (WGU has monthly start dates that allowed this). I am using Financial Aid, and it can be such a frustrating process if selected for "Verification." As an Enrollment Counselor, I knew that students would get discouraged by the process and now I know as well. I think it is essential to keep the end goal in mind. I am naturally optimistic when it comes to my education, and I am determined to get started and earn my Master's degree. I will be able to help my students in a new way because I've been through the process too and at the end of the day we are on their team and will get them where they want to be!
What was your first job? When I started college, I also worked at the St. Louis Community College as a cashier. Working for SLCC was the starting point in my passion for Higher Education.
What did you want to be when you were growing up? I wanted to be a choreographer as a kid. I’ve somehow lost coordination over the years but I had some moves back in the day!
What is your favorite thing to do in your downtime? I enjoyed watching vlogs on YouTube. I also enjoy shopping and spending time with my family.
If you could learn any skill instantly what would it be? I wish I could instantly know how to play the guitar, I took lessons when I was younger but never continued to learn.
