SNHU Spotlight: Nakia Woodard, BS in Business Administration Grad

Diagnosed with narcolepsy as a high school student, Nakia Woodard ‘23 said she faced challenges on the path to earning her degree. But she refused to let that stop her. Now, she’s earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

“When you think about narcolepsy, it’s not the worst you could have,” said Woodard. “But when it comes to studying and academics, it’s a real big obstacle.”

Woodard said prior to her diagnosis, she was an excellent student who had a great relationship with her teachers. Unfortunately, after moving to a new school, she began experiencing symptoms of narcolepsy.

“It was tough for me because this was a new school,” she said. “It was a very challenging school, and now, the teachers don’t know me from the past to be able to say, ‘Hey, this is not right.’”

Woodard said it was a difficult position to be in, as she was worried about being perceived as unmotivated. But she also knew something was wrong.

After visiting doctors and receiving her diagnosis, she faced more obstacles: finding a medication and dosage that alleviated her symptoms. Woodard said she continued her studies, despite often falling asleep during class, while she also juggled basketball and other extracurriculars.

“I really had to teach myself everything after school,” she said.

Once she graduated high school, Woodard entered the workforce. But after realizing she wanted a change in her career, she looked for her desired roles on the job site Indeed and decided to pursue the degree those jobs required.

Since she worked full time, Woodard said SNHU was compatible with her life, allowing her the flexibility she needed to provide for herself while also learning.

“I can work my eight hours, go home, go to sleep, wake up in the middle of the night, do an assignment, go back to sleep,” she said. “Whatever worked for me to get it done.”

At first, Woodard said she did not share her narcolepsy diagnosis with her advisor.

“I was always reluctant to tell people about my disorder because I didn’t want anybody to (hold) it against me,” she said.

But eventually, Woodard said the challenges became frustrating and she informed her advisor, who quickly recommended getting in touch with SNHU’s accessibility team.

“When they reached out to me, (they were) so nice, pleasant and understanding,” said Woodard. “I cried because I was like, this is the help I needed.”

Woodard is now in the human resources field, and she hopes, with the knowledge gained from her degree, to pursue a position in HR management.

Despite her medical challenges, Woodard said it was exciting and surreal to earn her degree and start on her new career path.

"(Narcolepsy has) been my biggest obstacle," she said. "But overcoming it and saying it’s not going to stop me anymore was my biggest feat.”

Abigayle Mahnken ’22 is an assistant content writer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English and is currently earning a Master of Arts (MA) in English and Creative Writing. Passionate about storytelling and education, she enjoys learning from fellow students' experiences and sharing their stories. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, reading, and learning. She also really likes video games. Connect with her on LinkedIn.