The Hornet Five is a new series asking Hornet Family members five unique questions highlighting their achievements and Sacramento State’s impact.

We engage students to take on the world. After Anya-Jael Woods graduated with a degree in Career and Technical Studies through the College of Continuing Education, she did just that.

Today, she empowers women and girls, mentors students of color, serves the unhoused population, and advocates for diverse hiring and appointment practices with the City of Sacramento. She does this through her work as a board member of Sacramento County’s Women & Girl’s Commission and Cottage House, Inc., as a mentorship chair of the Sacramento State Alumni Association, as a community volunteer for Sacramento Women & Girls Advancement Coalition, and as a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

This is her Hornet Five highlight.

What has your impact been on the world?

I am working to answer how women and girls are really doing. Are we thriving or surviving?

My board work allows me to focus on all things considered in the fight for women, from access equity to legislation and making the fight for women of color mainstream. I identify as Afro-Latina and am the daughter of immigrants. The fight for women of color has been secondary. I want it to be for all women. It’s a fight that we’re all in together. When I show up to advocate, I show up to make it one fight—all of us together.

Let’s go back to the beginning. What brought you to Sacramento State?

I was a single parent, working full time and pursuing a nursing degree. I was hired at SMUD in the contact center but knew I had to finish my degree.

SMUD held a college fair after my first week, and the College of Continuing Education was there to discuss careers in tech. It moved quickly from there.

I started at SMUD in September 2011 and enrolled at Sacramento State by August 2012. The university is located conveniently near my work and light rail, and I was able to place my kids in schools nearby, and then they would come to school with me.

It was a blessing. I didn’t have to think much about it. Everybody was close together, and I could maintain balance, and I didn’t have to give up on my college career.

Your undergraduate was just the beginning. What came next?

Sacramento State was a stepping stone for me, but it’s also my roots. Being there allowed me to grow in so many areas.

My degree put me in the space to participate in the Nehemiah Emerging Leadership Program and earn my master’s at the McGeorge School of Law, allowing many other doors to open. Getting that first degree and walking across that graduation stage was the catalyst for everything else. I thought, “I’m not stopping here.”

I also made connections with people in my college cohort. We leaned on each other and have watched each other grow, and we pushed each other to go even further. They are like family and even attended my graduation from McGeorge.

How did scholarships help you succeed?

I was working three jobs just to be okay. I wasn’t making a lot. I wasn’t comfortable and was still coming up short when books were due. Then there is the stress of taking on debt when there is no promise you can pay for everything. But Sacramento State gave me the support I needed with scholarships.

Scholarships impact students where they have more freedom and less stress. Stress can impact how you take a test and retain information. The support I received from Sacramento State helped me to graduate in four years.

How did you match your 9-5 to your 5-9?

After three years in customer service and seven years in tech, I was hired as a project manager for SMUD’s Sustainable Communities—and it doesn’t even feel like work.

Now, as a strategic business planner, I manage community partnerships by working with local chambers of commerce, nonprofits, K-12 schools, and even Sacramento State to reach communities that need support. I also ensure we focus on clean energy and our goal of going zero-carbon by 2030. I also make sure that we hold space not just as an electrical company but as a partner in building sustainable communities.

What is your favorite thing to say when appointed to a new board?

I tell them that I’m not a traditional board member. I like to be in the trenches, planning programs and pulling together resources, especially during COVID. The participants of our programs are where I put my focus. I always bring it back to them.