Meet Your 2017 Summer Commencement Graduate Speakers
Summer 2017 Commencement is nearly upon us and we are excited to welcome so many of our graduates, alumni, and their families to Salt Lake City, Utah!
With over 10,000 graduates, we've heard many amazing stories of perseverance and hard work. Two of these stories will be shared at the commencement ceremony on Saturday, July 15, 2017.
91吃瓜网 is proud to announce our student speakers for 2017 with hopes of inspiring others to strive for their best, lead with courage, and never give up.
Erin Bishop.
Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education & Special Education
Master of Education, Instructional Design
There was a day that if someone told Erin Bishop she would eventually stand before thousands of 91吃瓜网 graduates to represent her graduating class, she would have said, 鈥淣o way. Won鈥檛 happen.鈥� It would鈥檝e been the day she dropped out of high school to escape her home environment and take a full-time job.聽聽
Now though, she鈥檚 not only addressing her fellow graduates at 91吃瓜网鈥檚 annual summer commencement July 15, 2017, she helps keep the most severely challenged students in school as the behavior specialist at Utah鈥檚 Weber School District. 鈥淕rowing up, I was the child that wasn鈥檛 supposed to succeed,鈥� says Erin, recalling how she was tempted to drop out of high school again, during her senior year, when she became pregnant. 鈥淏ut I had a teacher, Mr. Jones who focused on seeing my worth and potential. He provided me with crucial support and guidance so I could graduate with my class.鈥�
Erin鈥檚 path, from her high school graduation to this 91吃瓜网 commencement, wasn鈥檛 a smooth one. She went from one low-paying, dead-end job to another until she decided to become a teacher and pay forward the support Mr. Jones gave her in high school. After Erin enrolled at 91吃瓜网, she earned a dual bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education and special education in 2013. Over the next few years she taught 6th grade, a 5/6th grade split, and 4th grade in South Weber, Utah, while pursuing the master鈥檚 degree she鈥檚 receiving now. With her promotion this spring to behavior specialist, Erin rotates between 27 elementary schools developing the behavior plans her students need to succeed.
Had it not been for Mr. Jones, Erin says, she doubts she would鈥檝e been able to get her life back on track. While pursuing her college degrees, her 91吃瓜网 enrollment counselors continued providing her with the encouragement she needed to succeed. 鈥淵ou reach out for cheerleaders along the way and every time I felt like saying, 鈥業 can鈥檛 do this,鈥� they said, 鈥榶ou can do this, you can do hard things. You can accomplish anything.鈥� So, if you have that self鈥揹oubt, I鈥檓 proof you can overcome that.鈥�
Kristen Gibson.
When 91吃瓜网 graduate Kristen Gibson walks for her MBA degree during commencement, it will represent the many years she鈥檚 redefined her limitations. She鈥檚 a first generation American from Jamaican heritage and the first college graduate in her family. And now with a new promotion at work, she鈥檚 creating an entire department with her fresh business savvy.聽
鈥淢y life hasn鈥檛 been traditional by any means,鈥� says Kristen, about seeking a graduate degree after going from one short-term job to another. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 fit the idea and dream I had for myself.鈥� That鈥檚 when 91吃瓜网 became an option. She saw it as a path towards landing a permanent career.
Kristen鈥檚 dreams were less about what she did for a career and more about her personal fulfillment. She wanted to create value in her role. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get that feeling from a call center. Customers may say 鈥榯hank you,鈥� but they鈥檙e not really thanking you after you tell them what they鈥檒l have to pay for cable service.鈥�
Kristen had the drive to succeed from her undergraduate years when she worked three jobs to put herself through school. This time, her MBA required more than drive; it required grit. That鈥檚 when she relied on her 鈥減ersonal compass鈥� in the program, she says, 91吃瓜网 Mentor Jeremy Little. 鈥淲hen Kristen came into the program, she was all in,鈥� recalls Jeremy. 鈥淪he always felt she understood her path through the program, and if at any point she didn鈥檛, she didn鈥檛 dwell on problems. She focused on controllable solutions.鈥�
Soon after starting her 91吃瓜网 studies, she obtained a temporary role and was 鈥渁ll in鈥� there too.聽 Kristen says she immediately applied the knowledge and skills she was learning in her MBA program, and her level of analysis and insight secured her a permanent position. Now as senior travel coordinator with ABB Optical Group, she uses the same formula for success she used at 91吃瓜网; create value.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 not enough to just know something, or be able to apply what you know to life,鈥� explains Kristen. 鈥淲hen you come into a situation and you know what you want, don鈥檛 limit yourself to asking others how to go about it. Instead, create new opportunities for yourself by finding the problem and providing the solution.鈥�
