On National Higher Education Day, we celebrate the transformative power of education and the people dedicated to helping students grow, innovate, and succeed. In a recent episode of Tech Respect, University of Advancing Technology's (UAT) Curriculum Integrity and Senior Professor Dapzury Valenzuela shared her journey into higher education, her passion for lifelong learning, and why preparing students for the future means teaching far more than technical skills.
As professor of UAT’s Student Innovation Project (SIP), Valenzuela focuses on helping students navigate uncertainty. In a world shaped by rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, automation, and emerging technologies, predicting the future is nearly impossible. Rather than teaching students to follow a fixed roadmap, UAT encourages them to become comfortable with ambiguity, think creatively, and develop solutions to problems that may not even exist yet.
"The future is changing faster than ever," Valenzuela explained. "Our goal is to prepare students for the unknown."
Through hands-on projects, collaboration, and innovation-driven experiences, students learn how to adapt, experiment, and problem-solve in environments where there are no clear answers.
Valenzuela’s path into higher education began more than 20 years ago while working full-time as a graphic designer in Arizona. What started as an opportunity to teach a single college course quickly became a passion.
Inspired by her mother, a lifelong educator, she discovered the fulfillment that comes from helping others learn and grow. But instead of choosing between education and industry, she embraced both. For more than two decades, Valenzuela has balanced teaching with professional work in design, marketing, and business. This dual perspective allows her to bring current industry trends, employer expectations, and real-world projects directly into the classroom. By remaining active in the workforce, she ensures students gain practical insights that prepare them for careers beyond graduation.
While technology continues to evolve, Valenzuela believes the most valuable skills remain surprisingly human.
Employers consistently seek candidates who are:
Technical skills can often be taught on the job. Soft skills, however, help employees navigate challenges, work effectively with others, and contribute to organizational success.
"Programs change. Software changes. Technology changes," she noted. "But adaptability and a growth mindset remain essential."
As conversations continue about the value of college in today's digital world, Valenzuela remains a strong advocate for higher education. She acknowledges that students now have unprecedented access to information through the internet and AI-powered tools. However, she argues that college offers something far more valuable than information alone.
Higher education provides structure, mentorship, collaboration, networking opportunities, and real-world experiences that help students transform knowledge into action. For many students, college becomes the environment where they learn how to think critically, challenge assumptions, defend ideas, and work alongside people with different perspectives.
"Higher education teaches you how to solve problems," Valenzuela said. "It's about being willing to step into the unknown and apply what you learn to make a difference."
Valenzuela doesn't just teach lifelong learning—she lives it.
Currently pursuing a PhD in Management with a specialization in Organizational Design and Innovation, she continues to expand her own knowledge while helping students do the same. Her decision to pursue a doctorate stemmed from a desire to research a topic she is passionate about and contribute solutions to larger societal challenges. For Valenzuela, education is not simply about accumulating credentials. It is about using knowledge to strengthen communities, solve problems, and create positive change.
One of the most important lessons Valenzuela shared is that success doesn't happen in isolation. Whether students are in college or already established in their careers, relationships matter. Networking, collaboration, and community involvement often create opportunities that technical expertise alone cannot.
She encourages students to remain engaged with their peers, mentors, and professional communities long after graduation.
"The people who continue building relationships and contributing to their communities are often the ones who thrive."
When asked to describe higher education in a single word, Valenzuela chose: ever evolving.
The phrase perfectly captures the role of institutions like UAT. As technology advances and industries transform, higher education must continuously adapt to meet new challenges and prepare students for opportunities that have yet to emerge.
At its best, college is not simply about teaching students what to think. It's about teaching them how to think, how to innovate, and how to confidently tackle problems that don't yet have solutions.
And in an ever-changing world, that may be the most valuable education of all.
Want to hear the full conversation? Listen to Dapzury Valenzuela’s National Higher Education Day interview on Tech Respect, a UAT Productions podcast, available on all major platforms. Ready to explore how higher education continues to shape careers, innovation and opportunity, discover how UAT can help you take the next step toward your future. Learn More today!