Building Futures in Big Sky Country
WGU is empowering students to thrive in their rural hometowns, helping Montana build and maintain a more robust workforce.听
In Montana, halfway between Butte and Helena, there is a little town called Boulder. Not to be confused with its more populous namesake in Colorado, the Boulder in Montana boasts panoramic mountain views and a population of roughly 1,200.听
It鈥檚 the perfect home for someone with a lifelong passion for animals and outdoorsmanship鈥攕omeone like Kayla Hecht Bare.听
鈥淚 live here because I really love the outdoors,鈥� Kayla said. 鈥淓specially when it's a crystal clear blue day with no clouds or anything鈥t feels like the state expands into no-man's-land and there's mountains everywhere you go. We can experience the wilderness right here in our backyard.鈥�
To some, the thought of leaving such idyllic surroundings seems inconceivable, but for young people seeking to advance their careers through higher education, it can feel like the only option.听
鈥淭hey often say that the number one export in Montana is not our water and it's not our minerals. It's our kids,鈥� said Sarah Swanson, Commissioner of the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. 鈥淭o pursue the opportunities young people are interested in today, they leave the state to go to university or to go for an internship or a residency. And the return rate of our young people when they leave is not as high as we'd like it to be.鈥�
Montana鈥檚 Number One Export
On September 25, 2023, Commissioner Swanson joined Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, along with representatives from the Montana Hospital Association, Montana Chamber of Commerce, and Western Governors University, for a roundtable discussion addressing this exodus of students from rural communities and its impact on the state鈥檚 workforce.
鈥淲e know that every year from now until 2032, we need at least 20,000, arguably 21,000, new skilled workers in careers like teaching,鈥� Commissioner Swanson said. 鈥淭hat doesn't include our urban counties, that is just 20,000 Montanans a year in our rural communities that we're not adequately prepared for.鈥�
Solving Montana鈥檚 workforce needs is a complex challenge that requires complex solutions鈥揳nd it starts with making higher education more accessible to students right in their rural hometowns.听
鈥淥ur obligation through our education policy and partnerships is to help every student reach their full potential,鈥� said Gov. Gianforte. 鈥淭his is where WGU comes in.鈥�
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World-Class Education, At Home
Teaching runs in the family for Kayla Hecht-Bare. Her mother, Kayla鈥檚 greatest role model, has worked in education for Kayla鈥檚 entire life. While sorting through boxes of childhood mementos, Hecht found a project she had completed in kindergarten. Right there, following the question, 鈥淲hat do you want to be when you grow up?鈥�, was a single word in a six-year-old鈥檚 scrawl: teacher.听
So when she decided it was time to change from the physical therapy career she was pursuing, Kayla knew what direction she wanted to take鈥攕he just didn鈥檛 know where to take it.
鈥淚 had really wanted to just give up from my last school that I was at. I didn鈥檛 feel like I was getting accepted and supported,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just kind of wanted to do what my brother did: work for a year and then eventually find a school that would work for my lifestyle鈥eing able to work a full time job, provide for my family, my husband, dog.鈥�
That鈥檚 when her mother told her about an online university a family friend had attended: somewhere she could work at her own pace, from her own home, and receive a teaching degree in a fraction of the time (and at a fraction of the cost) of a traditional university.
WGU鈥檚 School of Education is the largest in the nation, with more than 37,000 active students across the United States. From the moment she enrolled, Kayla knew that WGU would be different.
鈥淲hen I realized what kind of a community WGU was, I was glad I made the change,鈥� Kayla said. 鈥淭hey helped me see that I didn鈥檛 have to give up [my own community].鈥�
Kayla鈥檚 instructors and mentors at WGU continued to care for her throughout the course of her education, even helping her find a student teaching placement right in Boulder.
鈥淭hey boosted me up and they batted for me,鈥� Kayla said. 鈥淚t really made me love WGU more. My past school never would have done that for me.鈥�
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Supporting Students, Invigorating Economies
Today, Kayla teaches fifth grade in Boulder鈥攁nd she鈥檚 reaching more than just the students in her classrooms. She鈥檚 proving to other young Montanans that you no longer need to leave the rural community you love to pursue the education you need.
鈥淲estern Governors University is a key component of keeping our kids here, where they can still access world-class education and have great sustainable jobs to support their families right here in Montana,鈥� Commissioner Swanson said.
And Kayla wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way.听
鈥淏oulder is the place for me. I want to keep helping these students grow,鈥� Kayla said. 鈥淚 see it as my job to make them feel loved and welcomed in my classroom every time I have the chance to and know that that's a safe place. I'm proud of the work I've done here, where I live.鈥澨�
By empowering students to thrive in their rural hometowns, WGU is helping Montana build and maintain a more robust workforce.听
Learn more about how WGU is having an impact on your state.
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