Wilda Worth knew from an early age that she wanted a life that would allow her to have her own career, home and family. Not having any kind of support from her family, she was driven by her own determination to set goals for herself as she worked her way through school at Kinsman High School in Ohio. Going on to pursue a college education, she graduated from the East Texas State Teachers College, which today is part of Texas A&M University, with a Bachelor of Science in education and began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Texas public school system in 1951. Throughout her early years as a teacher, Ms. Worth continued her studies through summer courses at the East Texas State Teachers College, ultimately obtaining a Master of Education in 1959.
After earning her master’s degree, Ms. Worth decided that she was going to pursue not only a career that allowed her to succeed, but also one that made her happy as well. Over the next two decades, she taught second through fifth grade in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, though she notes that teaching fifth grade was always her favorite. In 1981, she changed career paths, becoming a technical writer and illustrator for a variety of companies in Silicon Valley, California. During this time, she bolstered her expertise through coursework in computer programming at Foothills College between 1987 and 1988. Relocating to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the early 2000s, Ms. Worth joined L3 Communications as a technical writer until her retirement in 2011.
Since her retirement, Ms. Worth has spent a considerable amount of time cultivating her hobbies of quilting, reading and writing. In 2021, she published her first book, “Is This Hazel’s Girl?: Perceptions, Dreams and Goals of a Misbegotten Pennsylvania Dutch Girl,” an autobiography that traces her life from her early days growing up on a farm in Pennsylvania during the Great Depression. Ms. Worth also greatly enjoys traveling, which is a pastime she has maintained since the 1990s.
A firm believer that you can do anything you want, providing you want it bad enough and are willing to work for it, Ms. Worth has had several mottos that have impacted her and kept her motivated throughout her career, including “Lord help me to remember nothing will happen today that you and I together can’t handle.” She also notes that it is important to remember that regardless of what happens in your life, there will always be someone whose struggles are worse than yours. Furthermore, Ms. Worth is the proud mother of four children and doting grandmother to six grandchildren and one great-grandson, and she considers her friends to be part of her family as well, citing that “Friends are the family you choose.”
