Kiley Pulley is Walmart's youngest U.S. store manager at 23

Kiley Pulley is already living a version of the Gen Z dream. At 23, she earns more than six figures, has bought her first home, and is planning a wedding she hopes to pay for without taking on debt. But she isn't an AI startup founder or an heir to a family fortune, she's built her career at Walmart, the retail giant, and is now the youngest U.S. store manager.

Pulley first joined Walmart at 16 as a part-time cashier, following in the footsteps of her mother and sister. The climb up the ranks began two years later, when she was promoted to Academy Trainer, a role responsible for training and developing new employees.

The Arizona native had just started her first semester at Grand Canyon University and initially wasn't interested in turning her part-time job into a career. Six months later, however, she accepted a promotion to Team Lead, changing how she viewed her future.

By 19, she became an operations manager, and two years later, Pulley became store manager, leading a Neighborhood Market outside Phoenix. Ray Shouse, Walmart's Phoenix market manager, said Pulley has embodied ambition and dedication since he first met her six years ago as an hourly associate.

Her approach was simple: show up every day ready to learn something new and make herself available for opportunities beyond her job description. She regularly participated in calls with Walmart leaders and volunteered to cover for store managers on their days off.

Her ambitions haven't stopped with store manager, as Pulley is back in school with the help of Walmart's tuition-assistance program. She hopes to be promoted to a market manager by 27 or 28, following a path that led Walmart CEO John Furner to start as a part-time hourly associate in 1993.

Furner's predecessor, Doug McMillon, also worked his way up from an entry-level position as a warehouse associate unloading trucks before serving as CEO. Working your way up the corporate ladder does not require a fancy degree when you are willing to raise your hand for the extra shift.