When Wendy Fuller returned to college after nearly two decades away, she came back not as a student searching for direction, but as a mother of six with hard-won clarity about where she was headed.
When Wendy Fuller returned to college after nearly two decades away, she came back not as a student searching for direction, but as a mother of six with hard-won clarity about where she was headed. She enrolled at Utah Valley University full time while continuing to parent full time, pursuing UVU’s respiratory therapy program with the kind of resolve that comes from necessity and lived experience.
Balancing coursework, clinical rotations, and family responsibilities was demanding, but she never second-guessed herself. As UVU’s 2026 commencement ceremony approaches, she already has a job lined up.
For Fuller, respiratory therapy is deeply personal. Her father spent more than 20 years living with medical complications, and she was by his side through hospice. One of her daughters relied on oxygen as a child. Those experiences now shape how she connects with patients.
“My ultimate goal is for patients to feel safe,” Fuller said. “I want them to feel taken care of, because I know what it’s like to be on the other side of that.”
The years she spent outside the classroom, far from being a liability, have become one of her most valuable assets as a healthcare professional. Fuller also credits UVU’s faculty and culture for making her return possible.
“The teachers here are amazing. I cannot praise them enough,” she said. “They know what we’re dealing with day to day, and they are willing to help in any way they can.”
Fuller said she never felt forced to choose between being a student and being a mother, even bringing a child to campus when needed. “That’s the vibe at UVU,” she said.
Her story is a testament to what nontraditional students bring to higher education: resilience, perspective, and the firsthand knowledge of how the world actually works.
