It was as a teenager that Utah State University Moab graduate Kaylan Young found her professional passion. While in high school, Young landed an internship in an elementary school and knew it was what she wanted to do with her life. “I had an internship in a second-grade classroom and fell in love with teaching,” Young said.

Young, who was born and raised in Moab, then had a decision to make: where to attend college. She had already taken concurrent enrollment courses during high school. After mulling her options, Young decided on hometown USU Moab as the place to pursue a degree.

“After I graduated high school, I had offers for colleges across the state from many schools,” Young said. “But I chose to stay in Moab and to pay for my schooling without having a lot of student debt.”

Young graduated during the Spring 2022 semester with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After job searching, Young was hired as a kindergarten teacher at Helen M. Knight Elementary School in Moab. Young credits her time at USU Moab for allowing her to grow into the person she is now.

“I’m a first-year kindergarten teacher and I’m loving every minute of it!” Young said. “USU Moab was a great experience. It helped me grow out of the shell I was living in in high school.”

USU Moab Director of Students Samantha Campbell has enjoyed watching Young progress as she made her way through the program and found a job in her chosen field.

“I really enjoyed getting to know Kaylan as she attended USU Moab,” Campbell said. “She was an extremely hardworking student that knew what she wanted to do and wasn’t afraid to put in the work to achieve her goals. It’s been fun to watch her succeed from completing classes to completing her degree to obtaining her dream career.”

USU Moab offers local students the best of both worlds: a quality education backed with the resources of a large university at a price that is affordable. Young says the price tag and the quality of the education she received made the decision easy.

“USU Moab was a life saver when it came to the financial aspect of school,” she said. “I’d highly recommend to anyone considering going to school to pick USU Moab. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree without debt is one of the best feelings in the world! If you are worried about paying for school, USU Moab is a great option.”

Campbell sees Young’s example as one other local students can follow. There are options to stay close to home and still earn a degree from a great institution at a lower cost.

“Kaylan is an example to any Moab student looking to stay in Moab and complete a degree,” Campbell said. “Kaylan is pursuing her dream career without ever having to leave home or going into debt. I am excited to see what the future holds for Kaylan and know that she is going to make a big difference in our local community. I feel grateful that USU Moab got to be a small piece of Kaylan’s success story.”

Located in the outdoor recreation paradise of Moab and boasting one of the greenest buildings on any USU campus, Utah State University Moab offers students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university. With programs such as Nursing, Elementary Education, Recreation Resource Management and Social Work, technical education in Health Professions, Automotive and Business, and degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees, USU Moab offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at moab.usu.edu.