Congratulations to the Class of April 2023!

BYU-Pathway Worldwide provides access to a wide range of certificates and degrees , awarded by BYU-Idaho and Ensign College. Our partnership with Ensign College is relatively new, but we’re thrilled to celebrate a handful of students who graduated from BYU-Idaho with their online degree in April 2023. Check out their inspiring stories below!

Joyce Forman

Joyce Forman is a 90-year-old student from Nevada, USA, who completed her professional studies degree from BYU-Idaho in April 2023. Joyce was just a baby when she lost her mother.

Of the little she knew about her mother, Joyce knew she was passionate about education. Joyce was inspired by her mother’s example of earning a degree and wanted the same for her own six children, 33 grandchildren, 98 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson.

At the age of 87 and after being diagnosed with cancer, she was introduced to BYU-Pathway. She said, “It's been wonderful. The group that you get into with those young people, they're so beautiful. Suddenly you've got friends in Japan or India or throughout Africa. You can see not just how cool the world is but also you get the spiritual perspective.”

Now graduated, Joyce looks forward to some day showcasing her degree and experiences to her mom.

Jeremy and Kevin Vargas

The Vargas brothers are from Mexico. Jeremy Vargas started BYU-Pathway courses 2017, but then began attending BYU-Idaho in-person and has now graduated with a bachelor’s degree in occupational safety and health. Kevin Vargas returned home from a full-time mission in 2020 and graduated with an associate degree in applied health .

Kevin said, “I’m kind of a perfectionist. Especially when speaking another language, because [English] is not my native language, I always tried to make everything the best I could. Sometimes it is difficult to accept that we aren’t perfect. But that’s the main idea of [BYU-Pathway]. We have a space to fail and to learn from our mistakes so we can one day do things the right way and to help others who need it.”

Allie Mickelson

Allie first started BYU-Pathway in 2016 but felt that it just wasn’t the right time. Her husband enrolled a few years later. In April 2020, when everything was shutting down because of COVID, Allie started BYU-Pathway again and just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in professional studies with emphases in marketing, business, and graphic design.

She said, “It seemed crazy, but it was exactly what I needed to gain confidence in myself and to prove to myself that I could work professionally. I felt like I had nothing to offer because I’d been a mom for 10 years. I found topics I loved and really re-discovered myself. My kids supported me and saw that, when you put your mind to something, you can do anything, and it’s encouraged my mom to return to school again!”