“For me, my end goal is to leave an impact on the world somehow. I come to school to learn skills and meet people that will help facilitate getting me there,” says Tobias Hales, Utah Valley University’s (UVU) Concurrent Enrollment Communications Specialist.

Tobias was born and raised in American Fork, Utah. After graduating from high school, Tobias left three months later to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Omaha, Nebraska.

While Tobias was serving his mission, the COVID-19 Pandemic occurred, and his mission had to find ways to continue to do missionary work while social distancing. He, and his fellow missionaries, turned to social media to accomplish their goals, and Tobias was given the opportunity to lead out in this effort. In this position, he learned skills that have assisted him in his current position with UVU.

Upon returning from his mission, Tobias began his freshman year of college at UVU in the Fall of 2021. He is currently working towards a bachelor’s degree in business management and plans to graduate in May 2025. In addition to starting school, Tobias also accepted a position as a teller at Central Bank. He stayed there for a year and a half and, in that time, transitioned from a teller to a loan officer where he would help people with CRVs, credit card applications, and loans.

After leaving the bank, Tobias applied for a job with UVU Concurrent Enrollment. He accepted a position as an administrative assistant for the Enrollment Services team in November 2022. In addition to helping with phone calls, emails, and projects, Tobias helped implement a texting platform for Concurrent Enrollment. This platform helped reach students more quickly and effectively. Tobias made sure he went to training and received the best practices available, taking that knowledge and creating an outline applicable for Concurrent Enrollment

While working as an administrative assistant, Tobias also began his own media company called the Picture Company in March 2023. His business focuses on portraits, retail photography, and videos. He has continued to work and grow this business while going to school and working for Concurrent Enrollment.

In a conversation with the Senior Director of Concurrent Enrollment, Tobias mentioned his affinity for photography, giving the director the idea of the Engagement Team. The team was formed, and Tobias was moved from Enrollment Services to the Engagement Team and made the Communications Specialist.

With the last couple years of work in Concurrent Enrollment in mind, Tobias spoke about how important and helpful Concurrent Enrollment classes are to students and how they would have helped him while he was in high school. “If I were to go back, I would definitely take more Concurrent Enrollment classes because it has been worth it for me even with just one class.” He continued, “There’s honestly no reason not to. It cost five dollars compared to five-hundred dollars. You can do both high school and college for one percent of the price.”

Tobias’ main goal is to be able to create something special and leave an impact on the world and the people around him. “I love just being able to make an impact, to create something from nothing, and to leave that for the world. For me, my end goal is to leave an impact on the world somehow. I come to school to learn skills and meet people that will help facilitate getting me there.”

This Wolverine can know he has already achieved part of his goal because of the impact he has left on Concurrent Enrollment and all those who have worked with him!