NorthArk Summer Grad Starts Dream IT Job

Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund’s July 2024 Student of the Month is Cody Wyly, a single dad from Boone County.

Cody graduates this summer with his Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology from North Arkansas College. And he’s already started his dream job as a Help Desk Technician at the Sight & Sound Theaters in Branson.

But that’s not all! While working toward this goal, Cody maintained a 4.0 GPA. He worked part-time at the college. He also joined the collegiate Future Business Leaders of America, earning a first-place prize in Network Design with fellow teammate and ASPSF recipient Kayla C. at the 2023 conference.

Cody Wyly (left) receives his degree from NorthArk.

Cody has achieved all of this while taking care of his 11-year-old son, his mom who has cancer, and his stepdad who is an amputee. In fact, it was his family that inspired Cody to consider higher education almost 10 years after graduating high school.

“I was tired of working any job I could take,” he said. “I wanted to have a rewarding career doing something that I enjoyed while also being able to better provide for my family.”

When Cody saw NorthArk had an IT program, he knew it would be a perfect fit because he enjoys computers and electronics. He loves taking things apart, and seeing how they work.

Since going back to school, Cody said his son, Parker, “has gotten AB Honor Roll every year and likes to help his friends with computers now.”

But going back to school was going to be tough financially. Thanks to a trip to NorthArk’s Career Pathways, a college assistance program for students with children, Cody learned about ASPSF.  The program changed his life.