SNHU Spotlight: Payton Good, BS in Operations Management Grad

Payton Good ’25 has already established his career in the surface mining industry. But now that he’s earned his bachelor’s in operations management with a concentration in project management, he believes his degree will be a “stepping stone” to go even further.

And as he points out, if the moment he graduated was any indication, he’s already well on his way.

“Where I was then versus now, I feel very accomplished,” Good says. “I learned a lot of the tools and techniques that are going to help me in the future.”

As a former U.S. Army National Guard service member, it was important for Payton to find a school that worked with his schedule.

Enter SNHU. Not only did the school offer the flexibility of learning online, he said, it also provided a support system that could help him whenever he needed it. Most notably, an advisor that cheered him on every step of the way.

“My advisor (was there for me) all the way from the very beginning… to now,” he said at his Commencement ceremony.“She just called me with a 'congratulations' the other day.”

When it came to his degree program, he spoke to the coursework that really made an impact.

“There were a lot of courses that definitely benefited me,” he said. “Financial accounting. Managerial accounting. Those were the big ones… Statistics, you name it. They were all very beneficial.”

When asked about what he might say to prospective students, particularly military-affiliated individuals who are considering the next chapters of their careers, Good had this to say:

“(If you’re in the military and thinking about SNHU), I say try it. You have to try it at least, to see if you’re able to do it. I know you can. You definitely can.”

Spencer Hensel '21 is a copy director at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). He is passionate about helping people own their power, and has channeled this passion as a storyteller, manager, mentor and EDI leader at work. A professional writer for over a decade, he’s had the pleasure of writing for Boston startups in the education, food and tech industries.

A lifelong learner, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Communications at Emmanuel College, along with a graduate certificate in marketing at SNHU. He has also volunteered as a TEDx speaker coach and organizer since 2022. Want to learn more? Connect with him on LinkedIn.