“My buddy was being recruited at the University of Utah for football, and we went up there to a football game. I was standing on the sidelines, a senior in high school, and I was sitting there wishing, ‘Man, I'd really like to attend the U one day,’” Travis Goff (MLS ’24) recalls.
Now, more than 30 years later, that wish has finally come true: Goff recently graduated from the S.J. Quinney College of Law’s Master of Legal Studies program.
“I went to that game when I was 17 years old, so for me to graduate with my master’s at 50 is a huge accomplishment! It was the right time,” he says.
Goff has worked in many industries throughout his career, including manufacturing, business, sales development, energy and power, and transportation. Then, 12 years ago, he began working for Maverik and focused his career on risk management. In that time, he was certified as a risk manager and finished his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western Governors University. He now serves as director of the risk management department at Maverik, overseeing risk, safety, security, health and environment (SSH&E), compliance, and loss prevention.
Goff knew he wanted to pursue a graduate degree and looked into a couple different programs to find the right fit for his career.
“Risk management is so broad within a company that I work with every group at Maverik, and I have to operate in the legal world,” Goff says. “That’s why I decided, upon researching the MLS program, that it was the right fit for my graduate education. It hit all the areas I work in and expanded my education and reminded me of what I already knew. The program has made me better at what I do.”
Goff relates his experience in the in-person MLS program to the Tom Hanks film "Larry Crowne," where Hanks enrolls in college later in life. While Goff didn’t get a moped scooter and wasn’t starting over in life, he did enjoy interacting with a diverse group of classmates (like those in the film), and he even felt like a mentor to some of them in different career stages.
In addition, he was impressed by the faculty, who helped him understand the complexity of words and broadened his perspective of the world.
“Everyone who taught our classes was a practicing professional. These are people who have lived and worked in the law and now teach the law,” Goff says. “They were great because just learning the intricacies of language—the importance of words and statutory construction, understanding the semantics, how the world works—I felt like I understood so much more nationally and globally.”
Perhaps the reason why his classmates nominated him to be a student speaker at the College of Law’s convocation ceremony last May is that he has an old soul—full of wisdom and willing to share.
“To me, this was like the icing on the cake. I wanted students to understand that there is more value in them than this degree—they’re already awesome! They're the ones bringing value into the program,” Goff says. “The program provides value, but they're the ones who will nurture and grow that garden in whatever the MLS program gives to them.”
And his wisdom extends beyond the classroom to those he associates with on a professional and personal level.
“I hope that the people I work with see that even as you grow older, you can still improve, and you can still be responsible for yourself by accepting whatever situation you’re in and changing it,” Goff says. “I want them to find the joy in their lives by pursuing different things—to find the enthusiasm and the happiness. Because enthusiasm coupled with joy really brings your life into alignment. I hope that is the example I set and that people take action in their lives and see that it’s worth it.”
Since completing the MLS program, Goff has noted inward changes that have translated to his work at Maverik.
“I’m noticing my level of effectiveness has gone up because I’ve already transferred so much of what I’ve learned to my team. I’m a much better leader, manager, and teacher because of my education. And I think I’ve gotten my team more excited as they’ve seen me go through this process,” Goff says.
The three main benefits Goff has enjoyed with his MLS degree include:
- Understanding the language. “I have already changed the language at my job and the words I use now. A big piece of the law is understanding the language—there’s the language of contracts, the language of administrative law, etc.,” Goff says. “Understanding the law and understanding the parts and pieces of it allows one to now communicate, make decisions, and operate in that legal realm at a much higher level.”
- Communication. “It’s all communication now—being able to communicate intelligently, using the right language, and understanding different concepts. The Comparative Legal Studies class taught such a different lens of understanding of other cultures or our little microcosms—it could be Utah, or it could be where you work. We’re all so different and diverse, and one has to operate in that environment. The MLS program has helped me understand the ecosystem that I operate in and to communicate more effectively and more knowledgeably about the law.”
- Self-assurance. “The MLS program gives you the self-assurance that you have a broad understanding—a better understanding than most—on the law. That self-assurance translates into your work and the people you interact with, and what it gives you is peace,” Goff says. “This program brings the good within you out. I don’t need anything tangible to show from this program: I am the tangible thing.”
Initially, Goff planned to work toward a VP role in risk management once he graduated. However, his perception has changed.
“My career goal is to do the best job that I can at my job right now—apply the knowledge I’ve learned in my profession and let things naturally happen,” Goff says. “I’ve reached my destination, and whatever good comes from that will naturally happen in my life. If I’m meant to be a VP of risk management or move on from here, it’s my work that will do that. That’s what I’ve learned in the MLS program and throughout my education and career: My character and who I am will make that happen.”
Among his many achievements, Goff is proud to be an alum of the S.J. Quinney College of Law. Moreover, he is proud to recognize that there is always room for “continuous improvement” if one first takes action. For him, it was applying to the MLS program.
“What I'm most proud of is recognizing that I know what I don't know and understanding there's always something to learn, to move forward with, and that the solution to everything is inside me,” he says. “If I take action, it'll naturally make me happy in my career and my life. So it’s knowing that I'm the problem and the solution. It’s all up to me. Learning that is so empowering, because I don't have to wait for anybody to change anything. I just need to be happy right now.”
He also recognizes that graduating from the University of Utah 30 years ago would have been great, but it’s even better today.
“Graduating today with my grown children and my wife of 30 years, already achieving everything that I wanted to achieve, just made it that much more awesome!” Goff says. “I got to share this experience with all the people I love.”