Wendy Bosquez knows that her story is unusual. The University of Arizona Global Campus graduate holds a bachelor’s degree, is working on her master’s degree, and is considering a PhD in the future. The trifecta of achievement comes after nearly a lifetime of academic struggle, but her journey isn’t defined by her setbacks. Rather, Wendy’s story is one of determination, and she is an example of what happens when you refuse to accept anything but your eventual success.
A Healthy Future
Today, Wendy is an inside sales representative for Coram, a nationwide provider of infusion services and a subsidiary of CVS Health, where she has worked since 2016. Though she rose fast through the ranks in her early years, she realized her growth wouldn’t continue unless she had the academic credentials to pair with her work experience.
Health care is a constantly evolving industry, she explains, and it requires a balance of problem solving, communication, and adaptation in order to reach a positive outcome. She credits her education for giving her the skills to do her job, and says her supervisors have noticed improvements in her personal performance since she started her UAGC journey in October 2020. Today, she’s working toward new roles in her company, though she’s keeping her cards close to the vest and isn’t ready to reveal what lies ahead. All she will say, for now, is that she is continuously finding new doors to opportunity at every turn.
Roadblocks and Setbacks
Wendy’s quest to be the best at what she does stems from her childhood school experience. As a young student, she considered herself intelligent, but just couldn’t find a way to thrive in school. She asked herself: Was it her study habits, balancing work, and school, too many responsibilities, or was she just not cut out for academia?
Wendy’s grades were solid, but she wasn’t focused and never felt engaged. It didn’t help that she was moving a lot as a kid.
Then, her mom passed away, which meant less focus on school and more time helping take care of her sister, and she ultimately dropped out of high school. Twice, she tried to go back to high school to graduate, but both times it wasn’t meant to be. As a result, Wendy never had formal high school graduation -- never got the “walk the stage” moment that so many students covet.
“Mom always knew I was capable of it,” she notes. “She believed in me; she knew I was smart. Of all her children, she expected me to go to college and do things.”
Eventually, at 21, Wendy got her GED. From there she wanted to continue her education and achieve her goal of getting a college degree, but school hadn’t gotten any easier. Just the opposite. She applied to a trade school for interior design, but as a new mom with even more obligations, less time, and just as much trouble with institutionalized learning, she quickly left the program unsuccessful.
For her next attempt, she enrolled in the local community college, trying her best to focus on her studies and make time for school; even though she was a now a single mom with three kids. She got into the honors program, but still didn’t make it past the first semester.
Without a support system, Wendy felt like she had to give up on her dream. It just didn’t seem possible, and for five years after dropping out of community college, that weighed heavily on Wendy.
The Power of Persistence
Wendy’s early success at CVS Health came despite having no experience at all. She enjoyed the job immensely and became very passionate about health care, but when she talked to management about where she could go from there, she hit a snag.
“It was clear that without a degree, I wasn’t going to get very far at all,” she says.
After working four years in a specialty pharmacy, Wendy realized she needed a degree if she wanted to move forward. During a presentation at work about future goals, she mentioned to her coworkers that her biggest goal was to go back to school and achieve that degree.
After, a colleague reached out and told her CVS has great programs for education. Determined not to miss out on her future, Wendy decided to take advantage of the Tuition Savings partnership between UAGC and CVS Health. Toward the end of 2020, she enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies* program.
That’s when her transformation began.
“Immediately the environment, the structure, was perfect,” she recalls.
Thriving in a Supportive Environment
The online environment complemented Wendy’s learning style, allowing her to excel in every course. The further she went, the more she immersed herself in the experience and all of its challenges.
Enrolling with UAGC coincided with another life event when she was officially diagnosed with ADHD. The diagnosis, she says, offered an explanation as to why she was having issues with traditional learning and in traditional class environments. Sitting at a desk and listening to someone talk was not the way Wendy could learn effectively, and she realized that’s why she wasn’t succeeding.
Previously, Wendy would fail at any test that involved passively listening to lectures, but UAGC, she says, allowed her to explore her own learning style and path to success.
Further, she discovered a benefit that many adult learners realize incorporating what you learn into your everyday work can make you better professionally and academically.
“This experience has taught me more than anything that it was not about giving them the right or perfect answer they were looking for,” she explains. It was about formulating my own thoughts and opinions,” Wendy says.
Today, Wendy sees things differently, and she knows her style of learning is not wrong. It’s what makes sense for her, and her teachers agree.
“One of the things that was big for me was understanding the value in scholarly sources and peer reviews,” she says. “Years are passing, and I’m just so impressed with how much I’m learning.”
Wendy completed her bachelor’s degree with honors in January 2024 and immediately started thinking about what she could achieve next. Six weeks after she earned her bachelor’s degree, she re-enrolled at UAGC, this time to earn her master’s degree in health care administration. An advanced degree, she hopes, will position her for leadership roles and offer her new strategies as she navigates the sales sector within the health care industry.
When she’s finished with her master’s in August 2025, she wants to return to school again to earn her PhD. The pinnacle of education, she explains, would open doors she never dreamed of in her “former life” when she was a struggling student.
Wendy may have missed her first chance to walk across the graduation stage, but now she’s made it. In June 2024, she joined fellow grads at the UAGC Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony with her children and loved ones there to witness her historic moment. Her entire life, Wendy knew she was smart enough to earn her degree, she just needed to find the right way to learn.
“I want to thank the faculty and staff at UAGC who motivated me and encouraged me every step of the way,” she says. “Finally, I want to remind anyone who reads this that no matter how often you miss a ‘walk across the stage,’ you will eventually step in the right direction.”
Certain degree programs may not be available in all states.
*The Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies program is not accepting new enrollments.