# Success stories from University of Phoenix Alumni Luminaries June 25, 2026 • 8 minutes ![Shannon Sharpe](/content/experience-fragments/edu/us/en/blog/byline/by-shannon-sharpe/master/_jcr_content/root/container_copy_10389/container/image_2120429180_cop.coreimg.png/1760980395132/shannon-sharpe-360x360.png) Written by[Shannon Sharpe](/blog/authors/shannon-sharpe.html) ![A torch with light rays represents these success stories from University of Phoenix Luminaries](https://uop.scene7.com/is/image/phoenixedu/blog-hero-luminaries-torch-surrounded-by-lightrays.webp?fmt=webp-alpha&qlt=70&fit=constrain,1&wid=700) What does success look like? Every person will answer that differently. Here, three success stories from University of Phoenix Alumni Luminaries illustrate the breadth and depth of how University graduates interpret it across generations and industries. ## What are University of Phoenix Alumni Luminaries? The[University of Phoenix Alumni Luminaries Program](https://www.phoenix.edu/alumni/luminaries.html)recognizes graduates who thrive in their industries, build meaningful businesses and give back to their communities. While every alum has his or her own story and metrics for success, the program criteria are as follows: - Industry Leadership: Honorees must have impacted their field or organization in measurable ways. - Entrepreneurship: Honorees must have launched, grown and led their own business or franchise for more than a year. - Community Leadership: Honorees must have demonstrated continued commitment to improve their community through service, awareness or financial contributions. Nearly half of the 2025 and 2026 recognized alumni held C-suite positions or equivalent executive titles, and 15 alumni held leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies. The impact, in other words, is as broad as it is powerful. Here, three University of Phoenix Luminaries share their success stories. ## How did David Dodge overcome career limitations? If David Dodge (BSB/M-39, 1999) knows anything, it’s that life rarely goes as planned. He also knows that real leadership requires making education a priority, even when the timing is far from perfect. He learned that not as a teenager headed straight to a four-year university, but as a working father in his early 40s. Dodge grew up on a 2,000-acre ranch in California’s San Luis Obispo County, a childhood defined by work and self-reliance. For years, he assumed college had little value. “We’d have visitors who were very well educated but couldn’t turn a wrench,” he says. “I thought, ‘I don’t want to be like that guy.’” In his early 20s Dodge changed his line of thought and began taking community college classes in Southern California, but life pulled hard in the other direction. He married, welcomed two children, lost his father-in-law and then faced his wife Gwen’s leukemia diagnosis. “Our priorities were family first and everything else second,” he says. ![David Dodge headshot](https://uop.scene7.com/is/image/phoenixedu/david-dodge-headshot-360x360.webp?fmt=webp-alpha&qlt=70&fit=constrain,1&wid=360) David Dodge **University of Phoenix Alumni Luminary** He continued taking classes when he could, but his job in construction management became his full-time focus. Over 17 years, he worked his way up yet hit a ceiling. A hiring manager spelled it out: Applications without degrees “don’t even get looked at.” That was Dodge’s breaking point. “Enough is enough,” he said he told himself. “I’m going to get my degree.” When Dodge enrolled at University of Phoenix, the world widened. “I found out I wasn’t the smartest guy on the block,” he says. “I realized there are different ways to look at and approach things.” The University’s team-based learning model sharpened his leadership instincts, taught him to work with various personalities and pushed him past what he thought he knew. “It took me out of the ‘fake it till you make it’ mindset and propelled me forward.” That shift led to a fast rise, with Dodge spending the last 15 years of his career as a vice president at the manufacturer McKeon Door Company. When hiring his staff, education became a top priority. “If you’ve got enough courage to complete a degree, I can work with you,” he says. “It shows loyalty and drive.” Today, being named a Luminary carries weight for him. It isn’t just a distinction — it’s a chance to inspire others. “I want people to know how my degree changed my life,” he says. “I would like my light to shine on other people.” ## How Hannah Hurckes moved from interior design to starting a logistics company Hannah Hurckes (BSACC, 2024) didn’t set out to run a supply-chain logistics company. The founder and CEO of Boss Lady Logistics’ plan was to be an interior designer. “I wanted to pursue my creative side,” she says, “but I quickly realized that creativity without structure takes you only so far.” Landing a job as a payroll analyst at a logistics company satisfied the other side of her brain. “I’ve always had an affinity for numbers,” Hurckes says. With her brother already working in the trucking industry, she saw an opportunity to immerse herself in the world of freight, dispatch and nonstop movement of goods. “I love puzzles,” she says. “In logistics, creative problem-solving happens daily.” Rising rapidly in her career, Hurckes founded Boss Lady Logistics in 2016, coordinating trucking routes for national retailers. “I was still in the process of getting my accounting degree from University of Phoenix when I founded my company,” she says. “Once I finished that, it was pretty evident that I needed more because I’m a lifelong learner.” She had the drive but was short on time.  ![Hannah Hurckes headshot](https://uop.scene7.com/is/image/phoenixedu/hannah-hurckes-headshot-360x360.webp?fmt=webp-alpha&qlt=70&fit=constrain,1&wid=360) Hannah Hurckes **University of Phoenix Alumni Luminary** “When I started at UOPX, I had just given birth to my second son,” says Hurckes, who now has three children. She was in her early 20s, managing a full-time job and raising young children. She doesn’t sugarcoat the challenge. “I wasn’t just working 40 hours a week on my business,” she says. “I was also working an additional 15 to 20 hours a week in school.” But balancing everything gave her the leadership skills she uses today. “I learned about managing time, working with people and accountability,” she explains. For her, being named a Luminary is meaningful not because of the spotlight but because of what it represents. “It’s a chance to show other women your dreams don’t have to wait,” she says. She’s also learned not to beat herself up if all doesn’t go to plan. “Progress over perfection,” she says. “Success isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about showing up and leading with purpose.” ## How Jorean Henderson turned experience into entrepreneurship Jorean Henderson’s (AAFB, 2011; BSB/M, 2013; MBA, 2015) story starts the way a lot of great American stories do: in a kitchen. At age 12, the now owner of the mobile food business Momo’s Cajun Eatz was washing pots and mopping floors at a soul food restaurant in New Orleans. By high school, he was working nights at a bakery as a pot washer, which really meant he was learning to mix dough and build cakes after hours. “I didn’t have the experience, but I wanted to learn,” he says. Henderson was learning the ins and outs of the hospitality industry, although he assumed he’d follow his mom and aunt into healthcare. In high school, he interned with a nurse anesthetist at the local VA hospital. But once he got to college, he knew it wasn’t his path. He dropped out, regrouped and followed a cousin’s tip that a travel plaza was hiring. That small decision cracked open the door that would become his career. Henderson applied for a manager position, and within six months he was running his own unit. As his career evolved, he moved from Louisiana to Missouri to Alabama with his now wife. Each new position was the opportunity to learn skills ranging from franchising to multi-unit operations. “You have to learn and you have to manage people,” he says. “It’s not easy.” But it clicked. There was, however, one question that followed Henderson to every job: Where did he go to school? He got tired of having no answer. With a full-time leadership schedule that ruled out a traditional classroom, he enrolled at University of Phoenix. “It was really convenient,” he says. “You still had deadlines, but I didn’t have to physically be on campus.” The financial courses reshaped the way he operated and taught him to read P&Ls with confidence. “I learned that you can’t just know your numbers,” he says. “You need to understand those numbers.” ![Jorean Henderson headshot](/blog/2026/06/success-stories-from-university-of-phoenix-alumni-luminaries/_jcr_content/root/container_14213/columns/responsivegrid1/container/container_3768771_co/container_1500021835/columns/responsivegrid0/image_2120429180_cop.coreimg.png/1782406843417/jorean-henderson-headshot-360x360.png) Jorean Henderson **University of Phoenix Alumni Luminary** Over two decades, Henderson ran restaurants in tough markets, trained team members who rose into leadership and worked his way into director-level operations. He earned major recognition, for strong performance in some of the hardest neighborhoods a restaurant can operate in, he says. “When you run tough stores and still win, that means something.” His combination of experience and education led to his founding Momo’s Cajun Eatz. For all of his success, the legacy Henderson cares about comes down to people. As his career grew, he was able to help others grow their own. “The better they did, the better I did,” he says. “Show up, lift others and keep moving.” ## Help write the next success story from a University of Phoenix Luminary Know an alum who’s leading the way in business, entrepreneurship or philanthropy? We want to know more! Nominate a Luminary today:[https://www.phoenix.edu/alumni/luminaries/nominate.html](https://www.phoenix.edu/alumni/luminaries/nominate.html). --- Read more articles like this: [How Can I Succeed at University of Phoenix University Life May 14, 2024 • 5 minutes](/blog/how-can-i-succeed-at-university-of-phoenix.html)[Does Reading Improve Memory? University Life October 20, 2025 • 7 minutes](/blog/does-reading-improve-memory.html)[Student Success at University of Phoenix University Life March 24, 2026 • 15 minutes](/blog/student-success-at-university-of-phoenix.html) ![Headshot of Shannon Sharpe](/content/experience-fragments/edu/us/en/blog/author_bios/shannon-sharpe/master/_jcr_content/root/container_1500021835/columns/responsivegrid0/image_2120429180_cop.coreimg.png/1760980373233/shannon-sharpe-360x360.png) ### ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shannon Sharpe is a Chicago-based content strategist and writer with more than 20 years of experience in journalism, storytelling and brand communications. She has developed content for both publications and corporations, spanning topics from design and lifestyle to healthcare and corporate communications. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Boston College and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring Chicago’s vibrant cultural scene, experimenting with new recipes and working on her first novel. ![checkmark](/content/experience-fragments/edu/us/en/blog/article-vetted-blurb/master/_jcr_content/root/container_copy/container/image_2120429180_cop.coreimg.svg/1701890876580/differentiators-check.svg) This article has been vetted by University of Phoenix's editorial advisory committee.  [Read more about our editorial process.](/blog/editorial-process.html)