#PrepareAtPeace | SPS Alum, Lloyd Thompson ’15, And Balancing Precious Time
“Prove it to Yourself, So Others can Believe.”
By Valeska Redmond, Ph.D., Director of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives
Lloyd Thompson ’15 had always played with the idea of going back to school and becoming a manager, but with four kids and a wife who also worked full-time, balancing life and his own job was challenging enough.
In Thompson’s world, the day simply did not have enough hours to do everything. How was he going to manage his life and current career and somehow find the time to add going back to school into the mix. It wasn’t until Thompson’s supervisor, a WPU alumnus, suggested he look into WPU’s School of Professional Studies that he began to think that going back to school was possible.
“My journey at WPU’s School of Professional Studies began with the recommendation of a co-worker and friend, but it was the support of my advisers and the easy access to my professors that kept me there.”
Initially, Thompson was skeptical, after all he had just moved from a successful career in ATMs to Internet Services at the North Carolina State Employees’ Credit Union and did not want to take on a new challenge. But after finding out that he could transfer 87 credit hours into the Business Administration program, he rose to the occasion, and he conquered.
Thompson finished his degree within one year, taking 33 credit hours. Certainly, a track record in SPS history. Since his graduation in 2015, Thompson moved to Card Services and received two promotions within the department. Thompson was not only proud that he made his dream of becoming a manager reality, but he was also proud that he set a good example for his children.
“Prove it to yourself, so others can believe,” Thompson said. “My journey at WPU’s School of Professional Studies began with the recommendation of a co-worker and friend, but it was the support of my advisers and the easy access to my professors that kept me there. I did not understand everything at first, and my doubts led to fear, but the SPS faculty helped dispel those doubts and put me on a path to success.”