Dalton Stoddard

Dalton Stoddard is a sophomore in Western Wyoming Community College’s (Western) nursing program. He is the recipient of Western's 2024 Shaping Wyoming's Future Award via the Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees and the Wyoming Business Alliance.

A Wyoming native, he was born and raised in Mountain View. Upon graduating from Cheyenne Central High School, Dalton received the University of Wyoming’s Trustee scholarship. As a first-generation college student, Dalton was excited to pursue his education and planned on majoring in psychology. But Dalton’s life took an unexpected turn when he witnessed his father suffer a significant accident. Due to this Dalton had to withdraw from his studies at UW and lost the scholarship. 

Dalton took his time away to observe his possible future. Considering how he reacted to his father’s accident, he decided to pursue a path leading to nursing. Hearing about Western’s nursing program and its excellent track record, he applied to the program after becoming a certified nursing assistant (CNA).  

While he lives in Kemmerer, Dalton doesn’t let distance stop him from being engaged with the program and his fellow peers. Associate Professor of Nursing Julie Leavitt credits Dalton with uniting the Student Nursing Association (SNA) at Western, as he aims to make each student feel comfortable and a part of the program, regardless of distance. Dalton’s actions have seen him elected as the SNA Distance Representative and recognized as fully embracing SNA’s mission – to unite students.  

Another instructor, Associate Professor of Nursing Shelby Williams, noted that Dalton is not only a high academic achiever but also a natural leader. In the classroom and clinicals, Dalton’s care and concern for patients is evident with his focus on safety, culture, ethics, and health promotion. This is all in addition to his desire to continue learning and drive to continuously improve his skill sets. 

Combining his two interests, Dalton plans to become a psychiatric nurse. Mixing two worlds together, he hopes he can have the most impact and positively change the world in one small way.

For information on Western Wyoming Community College's Nursing program visit their program page.