Hayden Byarlay

How did you first hear about Rize?

Hayden is a junior at Nebraska Wesleyan University majoring in Project Management, a program recently added through Rize as he entered college. He was drawn to project management because it aligned with qualities he values: the ability to work with people, lean into his soft skills, and make real change. He appreciated that the field is highly versatile, applicable across industries like healthcare, finance, construction, and tech. As a men's soccer player who also added Political Science and Environmental Studies minors, Hayden valued the online format's flexibility, allowing him to balance athletics, academics, and pursue additional interests.

How did you apply your Rize skills outside of the classroom?

Hayden secured a construction project management internship through a soccer teammate's connection. Despite being nervous about lacking construction-specific knowledge, he found his Rize coursework directly applicable from day one.

In his first week, he participated in a budget meeting and immediately recognized the process from assignments in his Intro to Project Management course. "I was able to examine how a budget is made in the professional world, but relate it really well back to my assignments... Having that relate really well to the real world was something that got me excited to work the rest of the summer."

The following month, he encountered Gantt charts on the job site, another assignment he'd completed in class. "I wasn't too caught off guard by looking at something that does look complex initially. I was able to get it really right away and contribute in that way."

Currently, he's working with change orders, the formal process for managing project modifications. This skill is being taught in his Rize course while he simultaneously applies it at his internship, managing requests like changing bathroom fixtures in an apartment building project while considering budget, timeline, and material availability.

How did this experience impact your career trajectory?

The internship provided crucial confidence and validated his education. "I was really nervous about it, and it was certainly a confidence boost to be like, I can perform well in this industry because I have that experience, that initial experience."

Hayden also found that the experience expanded his career possibilities because Rize courses teach general project management principles rather than industry-specific applications. The curriculum has helped equip him as a jack of all trades, and has set him up with a great foundation to explore beyond construction.

"Though I've worked in construction project management, I still feel confident and able that I can maybe look at an internship in the tech field or the finance industry... because the class has all the essential elements."

What's next for you?

The versatility of Hayden’s Rize curriculum has inspired him to explore intersections between project management and environmental sustainability, which is a combination of his major and minors. He’s particularly interested in restoration projects that reuse existing structures to reduce waste in construction.

Hayden has been accepted to Nebraska Wesleyan's Capitol Hill Internship Program for spring 2026, where he'll pursue project management opportunities in DC. His approach to career exploration focuses on identifying qualities he excels at, like collaborative work, and finding industries that align with those strengths and his desire to make meaningful change.