SNHU Spotlight: Wanda Edwards, Master of Public Health Grad

For Wanda Edwards ’24, earning a degree wasn’t an option: “To me, it was part of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,” she said.

And that need gave her purpose.

“I wanted to be able to put together the IT experience that I have over 26 years — in IT management and systems and software design — and (my experience as) a licensed practical nurse,” she said.

This goal started to come to life when Edwards discovered the Master of Public Health (MPH) online at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

“It was funny, I’m not an internet person,” she said. “But I was looking through the internet, and I saw this ad about SNHU. I took up the chance, someone gave me the call, and I was in.”

After an introduction with her advisor, the choice to move forward was easy to make. “The rest was history," she said. "My advisor sold me, she embraced me, she helped me identify why I wanted to choose public health and which competency I wanted to manage in.”

The support didn’t stop there, either. Along with her advisor, Edwards had instructors who made a major impact along the way. She described them as “awesome” and “helpful,” and felt the same way about the course content, too. One course, in particular, appealed to Edwards’ love of numbers – and the stories they can tell.

“Biostatistics was very helpful," Edwards said. "I’m a ‘numbers cruncher’ type of person. I like surveys, I like polls. I like to know: ‘What does the number mean?’ Anybody can give you a number or percentage, but what’s behind it? How many people were actually polled, what demographics? All those factors really help you to get a meaningful result.”

Now, as a graduate, where did that leave Edwards on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? At the very top, of course.

“I’m at self-actualization,” she said.

The reason? Because now, after years of professional experience, she’s finally accessing all the skills that make her who she is.

“The concepts, the lingo of understanding public health, how to speak ‘public health-ese’ — that’s what I call it — I now understand how to put all the dots together and cross all the Ts when it comes to public health,” she said. “It helps me understand how to take what I’ve already learned in business and medicine, and how to help the community."

Edwards said she's already much more astute and more knowledgeable with her MPH. "It was totally worth it," she said.

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.