Achieving the Dream: Janelle Shepard
Janelle Shepard, of Weatherford, was like many hard-working Texans with a full-time job and dreams of pursuing more education. She loved her job in healthcare management and needed additional training to take her career to the next level. A colleague in her field described the flexibility of an online education at WGU Texas. Janelle decided it was time to take action and enrolled.
“I really wanted to find a university in Texas that would give me the most return on the investment in my degree,” Janelle said. “Because of my experience in healthcare, the competency-based education model helped me complete my degree sooner.”
Janelle took advantage of all of the resources available to a WGU Texas student, including consistent contact with her mentor and interacting with fellow students through a community board. After completing six courses in her first term, she was energized to reach her ultimate goal and earned her MBA in Healthcare Management in March 2014.
A month after graduating from WGU Texas, Janelle was promoted and received an increase in salary.
“The experience I had as a WGU Texas student was and continues to be rewarding,” Janelle shared. “Going back to school to get my master’s degree in a competency-based program, which measured my mastery of the subject, was an incredible life-changing decision that was instrumental in my personal and professional successes.”
In addition to her day job in healthcare management, Janelle was appointed to and continues to serve on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
