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Professor Nathan Woo stands in front of his whiteboard Monday, April 6, 2026. His alma mater\u2019s flags are behind him, as well as a bead art of Auron Perler from \u201cFinal Fantasy\u201d placed in the corner. (Photo by Julian Panela<\/a>)<\/p>\nWoo\u2019s road toward obtaining his bachelor\u2019s was anything but linear; he changed his major four times and was even on academic probation for a semester with a 1.8 GPA. He attributed this struggle to not knowing what he really wanted to do. Communication studies wasn\u2019t something he had really tried until nearly the end of his undergraduate journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I took my first communication course, the summer going into my senior year, I pretty much finished an entire degree in a year and a half because I was taking only [communication] courses,\u201d Woo said. \u201cI ended up loving it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eventually, at San Diego State, Woo found another love \u2013 this time, for teaching. After finding a field that was interesting to him and returning to school for his master\u2019s degree, he got hit with a blast from the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a full circle moment because my mom found \u2013 in one of our old bins \u2013 a paper from when I was a senior in high school. [The paper was] a \u2018What are your future goals?\u2019 sheet, where I had said I wanted to be a teacher,\u201d Woo said, \u201cI completely forgot I wrote. She showed me that when I got accepted to San Diego State.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Professor Nathan Woo is surrounded by graduating students Friday, May 17, 2024. Woo creates a comfortable and open environment to celebrate big milestones, like graduation, with students. (Photo courtesy of Nathan Woo)<\/p>\n
Woo\u2019s journey might not have been typical, but it shows his sedulousness. After finding something that resonated with him, he gave his all to pursue it.<\/p>\n
Even through the rough time that he had in his undergraduate studies, he didn\u2019t let that sway him, instead continuing his search for his future and eventually succeeding. Woo used these experiences as ways to teach his students through his mistakes.<\/p>\n
Natalya Parmar, a Sac State alumna who graduated in 2024 and a former undergraduate student of Woo, commended Woo\u2019s unwavering positivity and hard work. Seeing Woo as an important role model throughout her educational journey, Parmar highlighted how involved Woo gets in the education of his students.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is genuinely one of the best role models I\u2019ve ever had. He is a good mentor,\u201d Parmar said. \u201cRealistically, if you have a bad day or week and need to be reminded of who you are and where you are, having a quick conversation with him will do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woo is able to disarm a lot of students to create comfortable and discussion-centric environments for them, creating a space for students to fully engage with the material being taught by being personable. Viv Hoang, a Sac State alumna who graduated in 2025 and an incoming master\u2019s student, shared how her undergraduate experiences with Woo resonated with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis academic journey was similar to mine,\u201d Hoang said. When I struggled in undergrad, I thought I couldn\u2019t turn it around. But seeing someone like Dr. Woo showed me I could do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Declan Hilliard, a former graduate advisee of Woo who graduated in 2025, highlighted Woo\u2019s discipline and work ethic. He said Woo was always as available as he could be for him. Late-night emails \u2013 when work seemed impossible and tedious \u2013 were reassured with Woo\u2019s radiantly positive energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was always just an overwhelming amount of positive support from him. It was either, \u2018That\u2019s perfectly fine,\u2019 or, \u2018That\u2019s okay, we\u2019ll do a quick pivot,\u2019 Hilliard said. \u201cI never felt like I was doing somethingsuper wrong, being reprimanded for something or that I wasn\u2019t good enough. It was a very<\/p>\n
empowering experience that I had working with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoang and Parmar both expressed how Woo is able to empower students and push them to accept their skills. Hoang shared the experience of a poem Woo shared by Shel Silverstein, \u201cThe Missing Piece Meets the Big O,\u201d which highlights the importance of accepting yourself fully rather than having someone else give you that feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not ego if you can objectively and empirically support your skillset and competence,\u201d Parmar said, sharing a quote from Woo.<\/p>\n
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Declan Hilliard (left) and professor Nathan Woo (right) embrace after a presentation on Hilliard\u2019s thesis. Hilliard, being advised by Woo, worked diligently to come to the conclusions he made about humorous communications. (Photo courtesy of Nathan Woo)<\/p>\n
Hilliard shared a moment from when he was doing a data analysis for his thesis with Woo. He said the experience showed how patient and devoted Woo is with his students after a nearly 12-hour day of spreadsheets and statistical tests. Once everything worked out as intended, the first person to jump up and celebrate was Woo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he jumped up for joy before I did. He gave me the hardest high-five I think I\u2019ve ever received, and then we went to get something to eat to take a break,\u201d Hilliard said. \u201cIt was just such a joyous moment after sitting there for 12 hours, just grinding things and asking him questions to make sure that I was doing the right thing. He was so patient that day.\u201d<\/p>\n