A Family of Cougs: Patrick Hylton Joins His Family at WSU Global Campus

For years, Patrick Hylton dressed like a Coug. As his wife and two oldest children pursued their education through Washington State University (WSU) Global Campus, Patrick proudly wore WSU gear wherever he went. These days, his Cougar ball cap is part of his daily work wardrobe. “I wear my Cougar ball cap every day at work,” Patrick said. “I have to put the screws to those Washington Huskie fans.”

This spring, the hat will carry a little more meaning. After years of supporting the Cougs in his family, Patrick will become one himself, beginning his studies in data analytics through WSU Global Campus and continuing a family connection to WSU that began with his two oldest children, Alexis and Tanner Ruiz, and eventually inspired his wife, Robin Hylton, to return to school as well. “Our entire family has embraced being Cougars,” Robin said. “My husband has proudly supported us by wearing Cougar spirit gear everywhere, which often led to conversations with random WSU alumni.”

For Patrick, however, becoming a college student himself wasn’t always part of the plan. Patrick and his family live in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, where he has called Washington home since arriving with the U.S. Navy in 2006. Originally from the Detroit area, Patrick retired from the Navy in October 2022 after more than 23 years of service.

He now works at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island as a quality control, reliability, and safety technician for Tessera, a facilities maintenance contractor. His work involves analyzing data, identifying trends, and using data visualization – skills he hopes to build upon by earning a degree in data analytics.

Finding the Right Fit in Data Analytics

It’s a field Patrick wouldn’t necessarily have pictured himself pursuing when he was younger. “I hated math in high school,” he said. “It was just so boring with no practical applications.” That changed when Patrick took a statistics course at Skagit Valley College.

Over a year ago, while meeting with an advisor to discuss his degree plans, Patrick spotted a WSU brochure featuring the Data Analytics program. That is when he started researching. “I had just finished a statistics class and absolutely loved it,” Patrick said. “I immediately went home and looked at WSU’s website and was super excited to find out more about the Data Analytics program.”

Patrick later visited WSU’s Everett campus, where he spoke with Data Analytics faculty and sat in on a DATA 115 course. Combined with what he had already seen from his family’s experiences with Global Campus, those experiences helped convince him that WSU was where he wanted to continue his education. “When my wife was first starting her education journey at Wazzu, I sat down and looked over Canvas, the classes and professors,” Patrick said. “Everything with the Global Campus looked really easy to deal with.”

A WSU Global Campus Family Tradition

The family’s connection to WSU began with Alexis and Tanner, who both pursued their education through Global Campus. “My experience was smooth and easy to use,” Alexis said. “I never had trouble finding where to submit assignments or complete discussion boards, and I really appreciated the flexibility of taking my courses online.”

Tanner studied humanities with a focus on communication, criminal justice, and sociology and similarly appreciated the flexibility of completing his studies online. Their experiences ultimately inspired another member of the family to return to school.

Robin became a nurse in her early 20s after attending community college and had long hoped to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree. But as she raised a family, returning to school became difficult. She remained connected to education by volunteering at her children’s schools as a school nurse and classroom helper, but her own educational goal remained unfinished.

Years later, watching Alexis and Tanner pursue their education helped change that. “When I discovered WSU Global Campus and its flexible online format, I realized I finally had an opportunity that simply didn’t exist when I was younger,” Robin said. “Global Campus allowed me to pursue my degree while balancing family and other responsibilities.”

I realized I finally had an opportunity that simply didn’t exist when I was younger.

Robin

Robin studied criminal justice and criminology, an experience that led her to become interested in the connection between special education and the juvenile justice system. Combining that interest with her nursing background and experience in schools eventually led her to pursue a master’s degree in special education.

“I have always believed that education is something no one can ever take away from you,” Robin said, “and I am incredibly grateful that WSU Global Campus allowed me to continue pursuing a goal I had carried for many years.”

Joining the Cougs at WSU

As one family member after another pursued their education, Patrick remained one of their biggest supporters. However, becoming a college student himself wasn’t necessarily something his family expected. “For me personally, I was always reluctant to go to college,” Patrick said. “I didn’t feel like I could make the cut, and there wasn’t anything that really made me super excited to want to go to college.”

Tanner remembers hearing those doubts from his stepfather. “I was quite surprised, because my stepfather had always told us he found college courses to be difficult and didn’t think it was something he could do,” Tanner said of learning Patrick had decided to enroll. But watching Robin, Alexis and Tanner succeed helped Patrick see a different possibility for himself. “Just the fact that my wife and two oldest kids were able to go and succeed made it easy to decide to go back to school,” Patrick said.

Just the fact that my wife and two oldest kids were able to go and succeed made it easy to decide to go back to school.

Patrick

For Alexis, his decision felt like the latest chapter in something that had been building within their family for years. “I thought it was really cool that he also wanted to earn a degree and join the rest of us,” she said. “It started with just my brother and me, then my mom decided to enroll too, and that led to all of us going back to school and furthering our education.”

Education has long been important in the family, but Tanner said seeing multiple family members pursue college degrees has pushed them to think differently about what they can accomplish. “Almost all the members of my family highly value education,” Tanner said. “When multiple of us started attending college, the bar got even higher. We started achieving more than we ever thought we could.”

The family’s focus on education doesn’t end with its four adult college students. Patrick and Robin are also homeschooling three of their younger children, making learning a constant part of life in the Hylton household. “Education has always been held in high regard in our house,” Patrick said. With four adults pursuing college while three younger children are homeschooled, Patrick said the experience has made time management an essential skill. It has also given the family something else to share. “It has brought us closer in our shared struggles,” he said.

Patrick hopes his own decision to return to school sends an important message to his younger children. “I wanted to show my younger boys that even though I started later in life, you can still earn a degree,” he said.

Building a Career with a Data Analytics Degree

Professionally, Patrick hopes his Data Analytics degree will help him build on the work he already does with data, trends, and visualization and prepare him for opportunities to grow in his career. Personally, the goal is simpler. “I would love to have a diploma from Wazzu showing that I did it,” he said. “Being able to show my younger ones that it is never too late to begin your education journey.”

As he prepares to begin classes, Patrick is also looking forward to learning alongside people of different ages and backgrounds and building connections with others through Global Campus. Although the family has experienced WSU largely from a distance, Robin said the support they received helped create a sense of connection to the university. “The warmth and genuine support from WSU advisors and professors make Global Campus feel like a close-knit community,” she said.

The family hopes to eventually make the trip to Pullman together. “We are looking forward to visiting the beautiful Pullman campus in person,” Robin said, “and I couldn’t be happier or more grateful to be part of the WSU family.”

For Patrick, becoming part of that family officially is something he once hadn’t imagined. “In all seriousness, I never thought this is where I would be in life,” he said. After years of wearing Cougar gear in support of his family, Patrick will have another reason to put on that Cougar ball cap each morning this spring. He’ll officially be a Coug, too.

About the Author

Emily Oliva is the Assistant Director of Digital Content for WSU Global Campus, with over a decade of experience in higher education marketing. She loves telling student stories and highlighting the journeys behind the degrees. She’s currently based in Miami, Florida—very far from Washington State, but fully committed to the Cougs.