Student Spotlight: Katherine Taylor

Katherine Taylor, M.Ed., and Founder of Aunt Katz Cyber Café, Inc. 

 For WGU graduate Katherine Taylor, the path to success was neither easy nor the result of a lucky break.  Like most meaningful success stories, Katherine’s ascent came about from hard work and perseverance.  As she grew older, she began to sense her life wasn’t unfolding the way she once dreamed it would. “I was at a career dead end and reached life’s burnout—a forced encounter with reality, I had to choose. Either settle for complacency leading to giving up on myself or do something about my circumstances and face my challenges.”

Katherine had also experienced the harsh and unfair realities of age, race, and gender discrimination. After raising her children and becoming an empty nester—and as her retirement savings began to shrink—Katherine found herself at a crossroads. “I had a fear of dealing with the future’s uncertainty and wondered what was to become of me,” she said. 

When she paused to take stock of her life, she realized she had a choice: she could keep doing things as she always had and hope for different outcomes or she could listen to her instinct and follow a new path to reclaim the goals she once chased with fervor. 

In 2016, a chance conversation with a friend and a desire to overcome personal challenges led Katherine to WGU, where she earned a B.S. in Business Management and an M.Ed. in Learning and Technology. “If it had not been for a casual friend who overheard my conversation, had positive experiences with WGU, and suggested WGU as an option, I would not be in the position I am happily occupying today.”

WGU’s dedication to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion was another reason Katherine felt inspired to continue working to advance in her educational pursuits, “I have always received support from my Course Instructors, who knew in advance my age, race, and gender. However, never was I made to feel or believe anything other than that the goals I set for myself were obtainable, giving their complete support to my cause.”

Motivated by her will to succeed and with a renewed focus on realizing her potential, Katherine credits WGU with helping her rediscover her purpose at a critical point in her life. “WGU [was] a lifeline that allowed me to recapture my purpose and contributed to defining [and] personalizing my goals.” After previous attempts at other universities, she found a path at WGU that put her in the driver’s seat of her education. As Katherine says, “WGU is the Ivy League paradigm for contemporary learning for online universities, which provided the tools needed to tap into my potential.”

Now working toward a second master’s in data analytics from WGU and as the founder of Aunt Katz Cyber Café, Inc., Katherine embodies determination and resolve, reminding us that we are all architects of our own destiny. In observance of Black History Month, and to celebrate WGU’s diversity and commitment to excellence, Katherine’s story spotlights how her online university experience at WGU and a willingness to persevere helped reignite her passion and confidence and led her to the success she knew she could achieve.