WGU Alumni Podcast
WGU’s alumni network now has more than 350,000 graduates living in all 50 states. The WGU alumni podcast highlights the incredible work that our alumni are doing in their local communities. We also share benefits, perks, resources and partner information to help our graduates stay engaged and get the most out of the alumni community.
WGU Alumni Podcast
Empowerment Through Experience: WGU Distinguished Graduate Adriana Richard’s Path to Advocacy
What happens when a determined educator channels her passion into transformative advocacy? Meet Adriana Richard, a distinguished graduate from WGU, who has turned her life experiences into a force for change.
On this episode of the WGU Alumni podcast, we explore Adriana's journey from shifting to an online education during the pandemic to founding a national organization, T1D to the Third, which supports children with Type 1 Diabetes. Her involvement with Girls on the Run showcases her dedication to mentoring young girls, encouraging them to believe in themselves and their resilience.
Have you ever thought it's too late for me? Well, it turns out you have more time than you think. We're living longer, doing more and collecting more moments. On this new season of the WGU Alumni Podcast, we're sharing the inspiring stories of our distinguished graduates who went back to school to pursue a degree and better their lives. We hope their stories will inspire you to realize it's never too late to go after your dreams. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the WGU Alumni Podcast. It's Jeff and Robert. Hello.
Speaker 2:Robert. Oh good to be back, jeff, and talking about someone I'm really excited about another one of our Distinguished Graduate Award honorees.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this has been a really great season. We've had a couple now and the response has been really really positive. People have been impressed with the impact that our Distinguished Graduates are having and certainly centered around the idea of it's never too late and I think for me one of the things that's never too late is when you see an opportunity or a need, you jump in and you make that happen.
Speaker 2:And I think Adriana Richard is a perfect example of that. She really is. And when we look at our distinguished graduates all the honorees from 2024, the ones in the past something that we see is that they focus on, kind of, the whole person right. While WGU might be the facilitator in the direction they're going or the change they want to make, they are someone who are successful in their careers, they're someone who are able to get that degree and make a difference and they are very often looking to the community as a whole to make a difference for people. And that holds true with Adriana and her work with Type 1 Diabetes.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I love that she's founded an organization. She saw a need in COVID for youth that were struggling with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and feeling isolated, and so she's created this network where they provide support and they connect others so they can talk and work through it with their peers, which I think is fantastic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and again tying everything together. She comes to WGU, gets her degree in education and then launches this program at the same time. That's an afterschool program and a camp, right, and so it's tying all of her passions together to make a difference in the world. And that's why I love talking to people like Adriana and just the awesome things that they're able to do, not just at WGU or just with their degree, but how they take that degree, take their experience and make so much of it Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So, without further ado, I think we ought to toss to this interview. I think you're going to be inspired and really enjoy Adriana and the work that she's doing.
Speaker 2:For sure, let's listen to it right now, all right.
Speaker 1:Adriana Richard, from Milton, pennsylvania, graduated from WGU in December 2023 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. She currently works at the American Diabetes Association as a camp operations coordinator. In her free time, you can find her volunteering with non-profit organizations. Adriana also is the founder of a national organization for kids living with type 1 diabetes called T1D to the third. In September 2024, adriana was named as one of 14 distinguished graduates from WGU. Adriana, welcome to the podcast. It's great to connect with you again.
Speaker 3:Great to be here. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I'm excited to catch up and to hear the great work that you're doing. From that brief bio, We've got a lot to dive in. I love how passionate you are and I've always been impressed with you, Adriana, in that you seem to always be striving to make a difference and make life better and easier for other people. Is that an accurate statement?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I definitely think. I have a passion for it.
Speaker 1:Well, I love that we're going to get into that on the episode here today. But before we jump in, as is custom to the podcast, we have graduates that we're interviewing and also listening from all 50 states, from really across the country and in a lot of ways, around the world with military bases and others. So I first like to ask what is your favorite thing about living in the Milton Pennsylvania area? For those not familiar with Milton, where exactly is it in the state?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so Milton is kind of in central Pennsylvania. It's about an hour away from our state capital, Harrisburg, and it's a really, really small town, to be honest. But I just think what I love most about being here is how it feels like a community instead of like a town or a city. Just this weekend we had a harvest festival and our whole town comes out and celebrates the beginning of fall. So I think I just like how it feels like a community.
Speaker 1:I love it and it's got to be beautiful this time of year. We're recording this mid-September, but it's got to be a beautiful time in Pennsylvania, I would imagine.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Before it gets too cold, right.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:Well, enjoy the fall. I hope it lasts very, very long for you and those in central rural Pennsylvania. Adriana, I want to ask next what is the most exciting thing that you are working on right now?
Speaker 3:I think the most exciting thing I'm working on is I think the answer will always be two and do the third. I continuously see that grow so much and it's just so exciting to see how things change over the last couple of years and how much we continue to grow and help others.
Speaker 1:Well, that's great and this has happened. You know you started a lot of this during the pandemic and then post-pandemic, so I think that's got to be an interesting time that you've had right.
Speaker 3:Right, a lot has changed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and all the more reason for your services and the good that you're doing. As I alluded in the bio, you were named recently as a Distinguished Graduate Awardee here at WGU. Congratulations, and tell us. What does this recognition mean to you?
Speaker 3:First of all, thank you. Recognition mean to you. Well, first of all, thank you. I think the word means that even when you're afraid to like speak up about your story or something you may be going through, good things can happen from it. When I was in middle school, I like refused to talk about how I was living with type 1 diabetes and something changed and I started really speaking out about it and my life completely changed after that. I've gotten amazing opportunities from it. I've gotten to meet so many amazing kids, but I think it's just always believing in yourself and remembering that your story is going to help someone else.
Speaker 1:I love that and again, I've got a few questions that we're going to dive into to provide you a platform to share more about speaking out and about being vulnerable and about going after your dreams and doing those things that are important to you. So let me ask, starting out, why did you decide to go to school at WGU in the first place?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I originally went to college at a brick and mortar school here in Pennsylvania and I just it was during a pandemic and a lot was changing. I didn't really enjoy being there that much. It was just not the right environment for me, I would say. So I transferred to WGU and immediately knew that this place would be where I graduated from, and I found my place in my home. I just think as soon as I enrolled in WGU, having the support of not only my program mentor but my enrollment counselor was amazing, and they were with me every step of the way.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. And how has this decision connected you to a bigger dream you had for your life?
Speaker 3:opportunities for me, not only working with kids I use that through my organization when I'm volunteering but I also coach an after-school program for kids. For girls living in Milton, pennsylvania that, um, it's a social emotional program called Girls on the Run and I've had the absolute best time with that and I've gotten to connect to so many different people who are just working to empower girls across the nation. So I think my degree has really welcomed me into that part of the world as well.
Speaker 1:I love that. Now, Adriana, love hearing about Girl Power. Tell us a little bit more about that program. What does that look like and how is it helping young girls?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I actually did Girls on the run when I was in elementary school so many, many years ago, and I came back about almost a year and a half ago now and started coaching at my local elementary school and it is an after-school program that it's worth third through fifth grade girls. They also have a middle school program, but I focus on the elementary school program that teaches girls how to stick up for themselves, about confidence, positive self-talk, dealing with friendships all while training them to run a 5k. So at the end of the program they run a 5k and they basically change their mindset from I can't do this to I can do this, and it's such an empowering feeling to help 15 girls in your community feel that.
Speaker 1:I love that and you're an excellent example of someone who can do that from what you've shared with us and what I know a little bit about you and your background. Returning to your journey going back to school, you started at a traditional brick and mortar, as you mentioned, and you went back to school after finding WGU. Was there anything holding you back from going back to school sooner?
Speaker 3:I don't think so. To be honest, I graduated high school early and I went right into college, so I was moving fast.
Speaker 1:Well and I'm sure you've interacted with other WGU graduates and are familiar with the community. Our average age of student is a little bit older, but we are skewing younger and I love what you've shared and I love that it fit your lifestyle and really what you needed being a little bit younger. I love that you're an example on the younger side and going after your dreams, and that's so great to hear. Would you say that there was a unexpected surprise or bonus from going back to school at WGU?
Speaker 3:I think just being able to work on my own time I've been able to accomplish so many different goals of mine, because I'm not at a traditional school where I'm set to be in a classroom at a certain time, I can do whatever I want and I can accelerate, or I can do the four courses every single semester. So I think it just really opened up the door to me to be able to focus on school but also my other goals outside of school.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great and it's interesting because, as we've kind of introduced on this season of the alumni podcast, the theme is it's never too late, and I think your story is compelling in the sense of I don't think that has to be necessarily tied to an age right. In a lot of cases it's like oh, I was 50 years old and I decided, well, you only get one shot, you only get one life, so why not go for it? But in your particular case, again being a little bit on the younger side, graduating high school early, going the traditional route and then finding WGU those words still can apply to you about going for your dreams and recognizing, even at a life where you decided it wasn't too late for going after something, whether that being a hobby, a bucket list item, starting your nonprofit, learning a new language, anything like that. Can you think of another time where that was the case and it wasn't too late?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think this can apply to several different parts of my life. I think this can apply to several different parts of my life, not only my organization two and a third but also just girls on the run as well, because even with my age and like being in my early twenties, starting a nonprofit is amazing. Absolutely Anyone could do it at any time in their life. So like just putting myself out there and just like starting, especially in the middle of a pandemic, I think definitely applies here. It's never too late to start something, no matter the timeframe. If it's something you want to do, you should go for it.
Speaker 1:You should go for it. So when was the moment, Adriana, that you knew that it wasn't too late?
Speaker 3:Adriana, that you knew that it wasn't too late. I think just when I started classes and I got involved with the community of WGU, it definitely just reminded me that I'm here for a purpose and we're accomplishing that can you share with us, maybe a lesson learned from starting your nonprofit and the good that you're doing?
Speaker 1:Is there something that you've learned that maybe you wish you would have known when you started out at it?
Speaker 3:I think just being flexible. To be honest, things have changed so much since the pandemic when we started and we've grown so much that you just you go with the flow. You be flexible whether that's starting something new. On our Zoom calls, for example, we just started a youth ambassador program, so like we're just kind of growing with the organization to better help the kids.
Speaker 1:All right, Whether you're giving this advice or this direction to young kids, the young girls in your program, the young kids struggling with type 1 diabetes, or you're advising people like myself who's a fellow WG grad, or those within our audience who graduated or who work at the university or who are current students at the university. Do you have a career or life hack that you've personally learned? I'd love you to share it with us and maybe what you learned from that life hack.
Speaker 3:I think just being able to ask for help. I remember several times at WDU when I was in a math class and I could just not understand it and I reached out for help from not only my program manager but the course instructors and I passed the test the second time with flying colors. So just being able to ask for help and like knowing that it's okay to do so was the most important thing I could have learned from being at WGU, because even if you're not working with instructors like face toface, they're still there for you.
Speaker 1:That's great advice, and again applies to young and old, and maybe even more so to old, where you can always ask for help. You can always learn from another or from the experiences from a peer or a friend or a colleague. That's great advice. Okay, it's hard to believe, but we're winding down 2024. We're going to be a quarter of the way through this century. We're just on the heels of 2025. So, knowing that, knowing you've recently completed your degree, you're involved in your nonprofit, the things that you're doing with camp and all that you're doing, what are you hoping to accomplish over the next one to two years?
Speaker 3:I think not only continuing to coach girls on the run I love doing that but registering my organization as a nonprofit so we can continue to grow that way, but also I think I might go back to school for a master's degree as well, just to continue my education. So we'll see.
Speaker 1:I love that. Why is education important to you? Why is that part of your goal?
Speaker 3:I think I just really enjoy learning different aspects of life that I wouldn't have the opportunity to if I didn't go back to school. I really have an interest in psychology of children and how behavior and mental health plays a big part in how they develop and how they grow. So I think I wouldn't get the opportunity to do that if I didn't go back to school.
Speaker 1:I think that's great. Well, you're definitely going to have to keep us posted and keep us updated on the progress that you're making. This has been fantastic, Adriana. I love all that you're doing. English Graduate Award program honors those that have had significant impacts within their profession, but also within the community, and I can't think of a more deserving individual than yourself, knowing what an influence you're having across the board. But specifically and we've touched on it here a couple times in this interview with those young women that you're a role model and you're an example to, has there been a time or has there been an experience that you've had where you've just felt like you were where you were supposed to be in providing support or empathy or listening ear to a young girl?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I can think back to one moment specifically of my last season coaching Girls. On the Run there was this little girl. We do a practice 5K just to prepare them for the real deal and we make it a big deal at their local school. We invite their teachers, we invite the staff, we invite their parents. We make it a super big deal, even though it's not their actual 5k. They're completing.
Speaker 3:And I just remember her um crying and she's like I can't do this, I want to stop. And I was like, okay, we can do that, but I think I think you can do it. And she did. She did do it and she also then ran the 5k at the end of the season with a smile on her face. She finished at the finish line with a smile on her face and she was so happy that she did it. So I just think being in there in that moment and being able to remind her that she can do it, even though she doesn't think she can, it's going to be so beneficial for her down the road but also reminds me that my purpose is to help her get across that finish line.
Speaker 1:And Adriana, is there anything that, as you're counseling these girls, is there anything about what you're doing for them, that you look internally and think how applicable the advice or the encouragement that you're giving them? Excuse me, applicable the advice or the encouragement that they're giving, that you're giving them?
Speaker 3:excuse me, that that could also be applied to you in your life. Yeah, I think this program specifically since I did it when I was younger too. Even I just think that's what I needed to hear when I was their age. It's like I can do it. These moments aren't going to last forever and to just keep going. When I was their age, I was really, really struggling with my identity and living with type 1 diabetes, so I just I wish I would have took my own advice back then.
Speaker 1:That's so good. There are challenges, right, there are bullies, there's self-doubt, there's, you know, just the threat of violence and various things, and I'm just I'm again touched, just to kind of underscore this point I'm touched with the good that you are doing and I just think, I think of you and I think of our other elementary education or secondary education, really just any of our teachers that are having an impact for our kids. And I just want to say, on behalf of everybody in the audience and those parents that have kids of their own that are maybe struggling with identity or doubt or you know, life can be tough sometimes and the stuff that you are doing, the inspiration that you're providing, is so awesome. So thank you for what you're doing.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:And I cannot wait for you to continue chasing your dreams expanding your nonprofit, going back to school to learn more about psychology, child psychology, mental health, the impacts and really just the more that you're going to be able to do and contribute. All right, I want maybe one or two more questions as we conclude this and I'm going to put you on the spot with some of this. But what's something that nobody knows about you, adriana, that? Can I challenge you there to pull back the curtain a little bit and just share something that people don't know about you or might be surprised to learn that?
Speaker 3:people don't know about you or might be surprised to learn. I think, maybe just that I would say that there's like, even though I'm involved in a lot of different nonprofits and organizations that I also really, really love, just like being involved in the being involved with children. So I think, even though I'm like so, so involved with nonprofits, at this point in my life I am going to go back to school for, like, school counseling. So, for example, I have like a broad spectrum of different dreams, dreams in my life, and I don't think a lot of people realize that have multiple dreams and I want to accomplish each of them. So I think, just like I have non-profit dreams, but I also have gone back to school for school counseling and being in a school environment, um, but most people wouldn't pull that from me at where I am in my life right now.
Speaker 1:Gotcha, oh, thank you for sharing Any final words as we wrap the interview.
Speaker 3:I'm just thankful for this platform and being able to share a little bit about my story because I think, as someone who's been through so much in her life and been dealt kind of a tough hand of cards, and just been able to pull through and still be able to have a passion for helping others is so important. I hope that someone out there hears my story and is inspired by it and continues to rise above because of it. I'm just very thankful for the platform.
Speaker 1:Thank you for sharing that. If people do want to connect with you or reach out, what's the best way for them to reach out? Are you on LinkedIn? Do you have another social handle you'd like to provide, or a website even?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I am on LinkedIn. It's Adriana Richards, and then I also have a public Instagram that I share a lot about, like my nonprofit work on. It is T1D as like T1D, as in type one diabetes, dot Adriana, and I just share a lot of different things on there. You can find my organization on that page as well Awesome.
Speaker 1:I've just looked you up and connecting with you now, and I look forward to getting more inspiration and seeing more of your journey. So, adriana, you're the best. Thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 4:Thank you. Thank you for listening to the WGU alumni podcast. To learn more about the WGU alumni community, visit wguedu backslash alumni. Thank you to our alumni, now 300,000 strong and growing WGU a new kind of you.