Ga Ji Wang had always wanted to go back to school. The business student had started college straight out of high school, but out-of-state tuition at his first institution meant that got put on hold.

He moved from Springfield, Missouri to Kansas City and started doing freelance photojournalism and working in the restaurant industry. When the pandemic hit, he decided to enroll at Johnson County Community College. Wang earned his associate’s degree and began working in the auto-repair industry, but realized there was a pay ceiling.

That’s when he took to Google and stumbled upon the Missouri Fast Track Workforce Incentive grant, a program from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development that provides grants to assist with coursework tuition, general fees or direct costs.

“I was kind of amazed, honestly, when I saw what it covered in terms of tuition,” Wang said. “I talked with my spouse about that possibility and what that would look like for us and applied.”

After that, Wang said, coming to UMKC was an easy decision since he wanted to stay where he and his spouse lived, in Kansas City, and attend in-person courses, something he didn’t get to do during the pandemic while he was getting his associate’s degree. Going in person wasn’t the only difference for Wang.

“There's a lot more clarity in terms of what I want out of my schooling,” Wang said. “I think there's a lot more intentionality in terms of my studies.”

Wang committed to taking full advantage of his student experience. He sought out student organizations, serving as vice president of Baja SAE, a student engineering group that designs, builds and competitively. He also joined the student entrepreneurship group, Enactus, at the suggestion of one of his professors, Erin Blocher, who is the group’s faculty advisor. At first, Wang said he was a passive member of the group, but he started becoming more involved, even traveling with the group for the national Enactus conference in Texas.

“That's when I really got committed to some more leadership roles and the following semester, I tried to help get some more projects going,” Wang said.

He found his prior work experience helped not just his schoolwork, but could also help others in ways he hadn’t imagined. During an Enactus site visit to Operation Breakthrough, he learned reliable transportation was a barrier to families in Kansas City getting to jobs and parenting duties, and he knew he could help. With the help of his Enactus team, Wang started Stay Driven, a car-care clinic to keep KC families on the road.

“One of Ga Ji’s superpowers is his ability to listen with empathy and really hear others,” Blocher said. “Ga Ji naturally thinks through an innovative lens. He is a natural problem solver and, as a leader in Enactus, he helped the team look at needs in the community as entrepreneurs.”

Without his prior work experience, Wang said he may not have had the vision for Stay Driven.

“Having done some of the work and been in the automotive industry, seeing what things are simple and what things we can manage, really helped give life to that project,” he said.

Last summer, Wang interned with Spotlight AR, a connection he made at a career fair and through career and coffee events at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management. Without Fast Track, and the support of his spouse, Wang said, he may not have been able to come back to school for his undergraduate degree at all, let alone take advantage of all the opportunities that have enriched his experience.

“A thing I think about a lot is it's crazy to have this opportunity,” Wang said.

That’s why he’s committed to spreading the word and often shares about the program and his experience where he can to ensure that others are aware of the program. His advocacy has made a difference. Wang’s former co-worker, Charles McGraw, saw one of his social media posts and is now also excelling as a Fast Track student at UMKC.

With the knowledge and relationships he’s earned through his degree, Wang hopes to one day start his own business.

“I don't think college is always a limiter, but I think now I know I can walk into a space and not have that be something that holds me back,” Wang said.