How One USU Student Built Her Future From the Ground Up

Faith Toglena has big plans for the future. When she pictures herself running her own construction business, she doesn’t just want to manage from the office. She wants to master every task that makes up the trade.

“I want to learn it all,” she said. “A jack-of-all-trades, but more like a woman-of-all-trades.”

That confidence shows a remarkable transformation from her first day at Utah State University Blanding, when she stepped onto campus as a quiet, uncertain first-generation college student. With the encouragement of her family and the steady support of USU Blanding’s faculty and staff, Toglena found the space to grow, challenge herself and discover just how much she could achieve.

Toglena is now preparing to graduate with multiple industry-recognized certificates, including construction technology and management. She also works as a cost estimator for a construction and engineering firm on the Navajo Nation, applying the skills she learned at USU Blanding every single day.

“I was scared my first week,” she said. “But they believed in me before I believed in myself.”

Laying the Foundation

The first time Toglena picked up a trowel, it was to help out her family. In 2020, her grandfather and uncles were restoring her great-grandparents’ home on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico. Toglena joined them, mixing concrete, leveling floors and handling tools she had never touched before while absorbing knowledge passed down through generations.

Toglena loved the physical, hands-on work and the satisfaction of seeing progress at the end of each day. By the time the floors were leveled and the concrete set, she knew she had found her calling.

“I didn’t just show up,” she said. “I got my hands dirty. I paid attention to every detail, and I loved it.”

Toglena began to picture a career for herself in the construction field. When she learned about the programs at Utah State University Blanding in construction, welding and heavy equipment operation and met the faculty who made them possible, she knew she had found the place to bring that vision to life.

A Network of Support

From the moment she arrived at USU Blanding, Toglena had a network of mentors guiding her forward. Academic advisers, financial aid specialists, instructors and staff were there to help her navigate the sometimes-confusing world of higher education.

“They became mentors and even family,” she said. “I still go to them for advice for both school stuff and personal stuff. They made me feel like I wasn’t just a number. I had people in my corner the entire time.”

She challenged herself to take different courses, including welding and heavy equipment operations. Every new skill strengthened her confidence and reinforced the idea that she could take on any challenge.

“I’ve seen a lot of strength and determination in her,” said Chloe Wilson, USU Blanding welding instructor. “She’s been very persistent. She has had hard days, but she has really pushed through and been determined to continue showing up and improving. I’m proud of her resilience during the process.”

Learning by Doing

Toglena’s education at USU Blanding has been rooted in real-world experience. Through an internship with Jorma Hayes, professional practice assistant professor of building construction, she worked on active construction projects where classroom lessons turned into practical skills.

“I want people to understand that this is not just swinging a hammer,” Hayes said. “Construction requires planning, strategy and precision.”

Opportunities like this are central to USU Blanding’s programs, which are designed to give students the confidence and preparation to step onto a job site ready to contribute from day one.

“I want them to leave here with the confidence to walk onto any job site and know they belong there,” Hayes said. “That is a big part of what we do in this program. My job is to prepare them for the real world, and that means giving them real responsibilities in a safe learning environment.”

Toglena progressed quickly, moving from basic tasks to leadership roles. She began directing workers and making on-the-spot decisions that tested both her skill and confidence. Each new responsibility reinforced her belief in her abilities and showed her she could handle more than she ever imagined.

It culminated in her biggest project yet: selecting blueprints for an actual house. According to Hayes, this experience gives students the chance to see the full process, make decisions and understand how all the parts fit together.

“I try to give students as many opportunities as I can to try different things,” Hayes said. “They might surprise themselves with what they are good at. I tell my students that mistakes are part of the process. You can mess it up, we will fix it, and you will learn from it.”

A Journey of Discovery

One of Toglena’s most transformative experiences at USU Blanding came through a study abroad opportunity in Homer, Alaska, offered by the university’s career and technical education program in partnership with the nonprofit YouthLink.

For Toglena, the timing felt almost spiritual. Just months earlier, she had felt a strong pull to return to Alaska, where she lived for three months as a child. The program gave her the chance to explore careers in the trades while immersed in Alaska’s unique environment. She toured a marine-focused welding company where she saw TIG and aluminum welding up close, an experience that directly inspired her to enroll in a welding class back in Blanding.

But the trip also held deep personal meaning. Toglena, who comes from a Navajo background, spoke about the sacred symbolism of eagles in her culture, especially the connection to her late grandfather who once told her he’d watch over her in bird form.

“It was like he was with me,” she said, remembering the moment she found an eagle feather during the trip.

That feather became a symbol of spiritual comfort and proof to Toglena that she was on the right path.

“USU made that trip possible,” she said. “And it reminded me that my journey isn’t just about me. It’s about where I come from and where I’m going.”

Looking Ahead

Today, Toglena works as a cost estimator for a construction and engineering firm on the Navajo Nation. She applies knowledge from USU Blanding daily, especially in estimating, blueprint reading and understanding multiple trades.

“Every day I use something, and I think, oh, that’s something I learned from USU,” she said.

Toglena credits much of her success in college to her family, and especially to her uncles. They were the ones who first placed tools in her hands and showed her what it meant to build something with both skill and patience. Their encouragement gave her the courage to pursue construction as more than a family project.

“I am really thankful for my uncles,” she said. “They mean a lot to me, and I am glad they are in my life.”

Toglena will graduate with her bachelor’s degree this fall. Her goal is to continue building skills and hopefully one day own her own construction company, with the ability to lead from experience in every part of the job.

“It is possible,” she said. “Even if you’re scared or don’t know how it will all work out, just start. Just talk to someone. That’s what I did, and look where I am now.”