Fostering a connection: How a Sac State professor finds meaning in communication

The door to Mendocino 5037 stood ajar, with the faint clicking of a keyboard and occasional rustling of a chair emanating from the crack in the door. A man with an engaging smile opens the door, leading into a spacious office filled with books about communication studies and research, accompanied by a surprise cameo from “Final Fantasy.” The faint illumination from the afternoon sun shines on a small table in the corner of the room, ready for discussion.

This office belongs to assistant professor Nathan Woo, a member of the Sacramento State Communication Studies Department as both an educator and researcher. Woo started teaching at San Diego State in 2015 during his master’s program as a graduate teaching associate.

Eventually, he went to the University of Arizona, where he got his doctorate in communication studies and minored in psychology and behavioral medicine. Finally coming to Sac State in 2022, Woo teaches various classes within the Communication Studies Department and conducts research in relation to communications.

Woo had been surrounded by teachers and educators since he was young. His father was a high school science teacher and his mother worked at Stanford University as a professor of business. Never feeling pressured to pursue something he didn’t want, Woo was able to explore all his options.

“When I was an undergrad, I met a number of folks that said, ‘Well, my parents are only going to support me if I do this major or if I do this career.’ So I was really lucky that I didn’t have that pressure when I was growing up,” Woo said.

Woo’s road toward obtaining his bachelor’s 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’t something he had really tried until nearly the end of his undergraduate journey.

“When 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,” Woo said. “I ended up loving it.”

Eventually, at San Diego State, Woo found another love – this time, for teaching. After finding a field that was interesting to him and returning to school for his master’s degree, he got hit with a blast from the past.

“It was a full circle moment because my mom found – in one of our old bins – a paper from when I was a senior in high school. [The paper was] a ‘What are your future goals?’ sheet, where I had said I wanted to be a teacher,” Woo said, “I completely forgot I wrote. She showed me that when I got accepted to San Diego State.”

Woo’s 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.

Even through the rough time that he had in his undergraduate studies, he didn’t 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.

Natalya Parmar, a Sac State alumna who graduated in 2024 and a former undergraduate student of Woo, commended Woo’s 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.

“He is genuinely one of the best role models I’ve ever had. He is a good mentor,” Parmar said. “Realistically, 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.”

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’s student, shared how her undergraduate experiences with Woo resonated with her.

“His academic journey was similar to mine,” Hoang said. When I struggled in undergrad, I thought I couldn’t turn it around. But seeing someone like Dr. Woo showed me I could do it too.”

Declan Hilliard, a former graduate advisee of Woo who graduated in 2025, highlighted Woo’s discipline and work ethic. He said Woo was always as available as he could be for him. Late-night emails – when work seemed impossible and tedious – were reassured with Woo’s radiantly positive energy.

“It was always just an overwhelming amount of positive support from him. It was either, ‘That’s perfectly fine,’ or, ‘That’s okay, we’ll do a quick pivot,’ Hilliard said. “I never felt like I was doing somethingsuper wrong, being reprimanded for something or that I wasn’t good enough. It was a very

empowering experience that I had working with him.”

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, “The Missing Piece Meets the Big O,” which highlights the importance of accepting yourself fully rather than having someone else give you that feeling.

“It is not ego if you can objectively and empirically support your skillset and competence,” Parmar said, sharing a quote from Woo.

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.

“I think he jumped up for joy before I did. He gave me the hardest high-five I think I’ve ever received, and then we went to get something to eat to take a break,” Hilliard said. “It 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.”

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Woo goes beyond a basic connection when it comes to facilitating the growth and enrichment of students. He practices what he preaches when it comes to interpersonal communications.

Whether he is scheduling a mandatory one-on-one with students or making a hard decision to quit a big job with inflexible hours to propose to his wife during the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is for certain: he will approach those connections meaningfully.

“If you do have that individual you deeply love, a family friend or whoever you communicate with, make a note and tell them you love them,” Woo said. “Tell them you are thankful. Tell them you appreciate them, and tell them you’re proud of them. Don’t just leave it in your head – communicate it.”