Early on in Shasta Lloyd’s career as an early childhood teacher, she landed a job at College of Southern Idaho (CSI) while still earning an associate degree there — a step that put her on the path toward a bachelor’s degree.
Lloyd graduated from Boise State University’s online Bachelor of Applied Science program in May 2025. She completed the program in four years, becoming the first person in her immediate family to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“I had my first child, Walker, while I was at Boise State, so that kind of slowed things down for me,” she said. “I was pregnant with my second child, Olivia, at graduation. I needed the flexibility of the online format because I worked full-time. There were definitely a lot of late nights.”
Lloyd enrolled at Boise State the semester after she wrapped up the associate degree in early childhood education at CSI in 2021, although that was not her initial plan.
“Once I started working at CSI before I graduated, a lot of my colleagues were there, too,” she said. “Some of them were finishing up their master’s degrees at Boise State; some were doing their bachelor’s degrees.
“They made it seem like Boise State had a really good online program, so I decided to go there and do the Bachelor of Applied Science, too. I had thought about getting a bachelor’s degree, but their recommendations really sold me on it.”
A change of plans
Lloyd is from Oakley, Idaho, where she had planned to pursue a career working with animals after participating in 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America (the National FFA Organization) while growing up.
“Then, I started working in my church’s nursery school,” she said. “I remembered how much I loved my former preschool teacher, and everyone kept telling me that I was good at working with little kids. I had no idea what else to do at the time, so that’s what I did.”
That decision paid off. Lloyd is now in her sixth year working as a lead teacher at her alma mater, CSI, where she started as an assistant teacher before moving up to lead teacher four years ago.
“I work primarily in the classroom with the children at CSI’s Preschool Lab,” she said. “I make all of the daily lesson plans and work with parents and children.
“I also still work as a support for the students in our college program. I give them support and teach them to make their own lesson plans. Recently, I started working more behind the scenes, making our staff videos for the preschool and doing a lot of admin work.”
Lloyd did not have a specific favorite course in the online Bachelor of Applied Science curriculum, but she had a favorite instructor.
“I really liked the classes I had with Erin Tanzer,” she said. “She was always great to work with. On the day I graduated, she got her doctorate, so it was fun to see her do that, too.”
Lloyd capitalized on transfer credits from CSI to help her get a jump-start on completing the bachelor’s degree. The online Bachelor of Applied Science program was a good fit.
The program was established to give adult and nontraditional students with a technical associate degree, Intermediate Technical Certificate or an Advanced Technical Certificate an opportunity to complete their baccalaureate education.
The information that Lloyd learned while enrolled at Boise State continues to prove relevant to her career.
“I use what I learned in the program every single day at work,” she said. “I definitely got good value out of the program.”
The next step
Lloyd credits her family — including her husband Zane — and friends with helping her stay the course as she became a mother, earned a degree and worked full-time.
“They were all very supportive of me,” she said. “Graduation day was fun but very hot. I enjoyed being there.”
Now that she has a bachelor’s degree and continues to gain real-world experience in the early childhood education field, Lloyd has an eye on her future.
“I eventually want to open up my own preschool program,” she said. “I believe that having the degree from Boise State will help me achieve that goal.”
The versatility of the online Bachelor of Applied Science program was the best option for Lloyd as she worked toward graduation.
“It’s going to be hard, but if you want to be a teacher and work with young children, it’s important to be very open-minded about this program,” she said. “It worked out so well for me and my career. I would definitely recommend it to anybody who wants to work in early childhood.”
Learn more about the applied science program
Earning an online Bachelor of Applied Science 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.