The combination of hard work and good luck led Kaylene Peet not only to land a job at a company she loves five years ago, but also to stay there after switching her focus from human resources to instructional design.
“I worked in HR for a few years, then knew I was ready to take that next step,” she said. “I did a lot of research on programs that focused on learning development. Ultimately, it ended up being great that Boise State had the exact program that I wanted.”
After graduating from Boise State with a bachelor’s degree in human resources in 2020, Peet became a Bronco again. She graduated from the online Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) program in May 2025.
“I already knew how the system worked,” she said. “Logging back in — even though it had been a few years — felt super easy. I knew how working with an advisor was. It translated super well for me.”
After eight months as a training implementation coordinator at Scentsy in Boise, Peet accepted an instructional designer role one month prior to graduation.
“For a good portion of the program, I was doing payroll in HR,” she said. “Through one of my courses, I worked with a different team at Scentsy for my core project. It created a connection for me. Then, they opened a position on their team a few months later. I ended up getting that, so I moved on to a training and development team.
“From there, everything I was doing in any of my courses was directly applicable to my work. It’s been quite a process. I can’t believe this is my first job since graduating with my bachelor’s degree. Scentsy is a fun place to work.”
Lifelong learner
Peet is from St. Maries, Idaho, where she earned 33 college credits through North Idaho College before graduating from high school. She earned her first degree from Boise State on campus.
“I always had a passion and an excitement for learning,” she said. “That’s translated into a lot of the decisions I have made for career choices.
“I had one semester in the College of Business where I was able to take a little bit of everything because I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go in terms of what type of degree.
“One of them was HR. Taking that class, we got to the training and development, which was my favorite portion of the course. After that, I declared my path for a bachelor’s degree in HR.”
The online format was especially beneficial to Peet as she worked full-time while earning her second degree.
“Working 40 or more hours a week, you don’t have a ton of time to do coursework in the morning or in the afternoon, so those early evening hours were perfect for being able to get everything done,” she said. “It was nice not having a strict time schedule where I had to be somewhere for class. I could do it at my own pace, which was great.”
Peet enjoyed several courses in the online OPWL curriculum, including Principles of Adult Learning, Needs Assessment and Evaluation.
“The Principles of Adult Learning class was great because it set that foundation of how and why adults learn the way that they do,” she said. “Needs Assessment challenges you to dive deeper, beyond surface-level problems. It was challenging, but I enjoyed it. You analyze data and figure out why performance gaps are the way they are.
“Evaluation tied the rest of the courses I had taken together. You were able to see how a learning initiative is making a difference. It was really cool to end the program with something like that one.”
Networking is another element of the online program Peet enjoyed — especially getting to know her online classmates.
“The program has absolutely opened up opportunities for me,” she said. “The networking and everything I have been able to do with my professors and other students in the courses has been great.
“A lot of students in my cohort were further along in their careers, so it’s been great to get to know them and hear what they have been doing. Those connections are going to be so enriching for me moving forward. This has set me up really well. Because it’s online, they can come from everywhere. It’s interesting to hear about everyone’s line of work.”
In good company
While she was enrolled in the online OPWL program, Peet’s mother, Bobbie, completed a master’s degree in counseling.
“She fast-tracked it online,” Peet said. “It was a fun experience. She never thought she would go back for a master’s degree, but she got a counseling position at the high school where she has been teaching for 21-plus years. She was ready for a change, and they gave her a certain amount of time to get her degree.”
Peet is in the ideal spot in her career. She loves her company and her role as an instructional designer.
“Instructional design is something that will translate over,” she said. “Someday it would be cool to do more contract work for potentially a few companies so I get that variety of different projects to work on. Right now, I am in a really good spot for where I am looking to go in the future.”
As good of an experience as she had as an undergraduate student at Boise State, Peet’s time in the online graduate degree program was also a home run.
“If you have been looking at this program and thinking about it, but you are not sure about the time commitment, just take that leap,” she said. “Your advisor will work with you to make sure you get timing that will work with your schedule in terms of coursework and how many credits you’re taking.
“I never felt so much like, ‘Oh, I am going to school.’ It was such a fun learning experience. I would tell anybody who has been looking at it that this program is not a mistake. It’s a great leap to take a chance on this. It has so much great material and people who enable and empower you to learn.”
Peet looks forward to continuing her career with the confidence and knowledge of holding an advanced degree.
“I honestly couldn’t have asked for more,” she said. “The faculty and the staff were all so amazing. You could tell how much they genuinely cared about your learning experience versus you turning in your work to meet the deadline on time. They wanted you to absorb it to take you where you need to go. It was fantastic.”
Learn more about the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning program
Earning an online Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.