Kayla Wirth’s story is one of resilience, courage and the transformative power of finding not only an education, but also a sense of belonging. Today, she’s a Colorado Mesa University graduate, a Springboard Fellowship alumna and a full-time team member at Dalby Wendland & Co. But her path to success wasn’t handed to her, it was earned.
Kayla’s early life was marked by instability — custody battles, substance abuse and long stretches without a protective parental figure.
“It got to the point where my brother and I didn’t have electricity, didn’t have water, and no one was paying rent,” said Kayla. “One day, I woke him up and said, ‘We’re leaving.’ We moved in with our great-grandparents. That changed everything.”
With that decision came structure and a home full of love and mutual respect. She went from being a high schooler staying out until 3am with a questionable crowd to having a curfew that lasted until she was 19.
“They saved my life. My great-grandparents and my dad — without them, I wouldn’t be here,” she said.
Kayla was a truant student at Central High School and struggled in class.
“I failed algebra,” she recalled. “But my replacement course was Introduction to Accounting, and I was one of the top students.”
That one class opened the door to a powerful path toward a promising future. And that door was a little thing called concurrent enrollment.
Concurrent enrollment allows high school students to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. The Mesa County Valley School District 51 pays for those college credits at CMU and CMU Tech, but you typically have to be a student in good standing. Despite a GPA that didn’t meet the requirements for concurrent enrollment, she pushed forward anyway. She’d take accountability for her truancy and pay for the accounting course herself.
She took Accounting 201 and 202, excelled, and earned the support of the program to continue. By the time she entered CMU as a freshman, she had already completed 30 college credits.
“When I started taking those courses, I wasn’t sure if college was right for me. I just knew I liked accounting. It made sense to me,” said Kalya.
As it turned out, it was more than a class. It was a path to stability and a future she could rely on.
At CMU, she found belonging.
“I haven’t met one mean person at CMU. The culture is welcoming. I found my group.”
As a Springboard Fellow, Kayla was matched with DWC CPA and mentor Kelsa Tinsley, a CMU alumna herself.
“They took me on when I was so young,” said Kayla. “I started with client accounting services to build my experience. Now, I manage the books for 20 different clients, run payroll and do real accounting. The skills I’ve learned are invaluable.”
Her story is one of second chances and unrelenting determination.
Her advice to others facing challenges?
“Keep pushing. Push, push, push. That’s all you can do. Eventually, you will find your place, you will find your people.”