The Times-Independent

A degree from USU-Moab fulfilled Kaylan Young’s lifelong dream to teach




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.

Moab native Kaylan Young is now a teacher in town after earning her degree from Utah State University-Moab.
Courtesy photo

“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 [who] 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 lifesaver 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.”

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.”