Daniel Nardi wasn’t gung-ho about becoming a police officer at first, but he now has nearly 11 years of experience with the North Las Vegas Police Department.
“My uncle was an officer in White Pine County, Nevada,” he said. “He tried to get me into law enforcement when I was 21 years old, but I was stubborn. When I got down here to Las Vegas, I started with the prison. I knew that wasn’t where I wanted to stay. I kept moving forward.”
Nardi, 41, graduated from Boise State University’s online Bachelor of Applied Science with a certificate in leadership through the Online Degree Pathway program in May 2026.
“Initially, I was bored,” he said. “I got my associate degree and joined the department. While I was going through the academy, I thought, ‘I like this learning stuff and staying busy.’ So, when I finished the academy, I enrolled at another university. It was a bad idea. I still had field training to go through.”
Serendipity led Nardi to Boise State. He toured the school with his daughter, Tailiya (19), while visiting family in the area.
“The campus was beautiful,” he said. “Everybody was super friendly. When I got home, Boise State popped up with its online degree programs on Facebook. I clicked on it and wondered if they’d take my credits. They got back to me and said they would take all of them.
“I got an approval a month later. It felt great. I never thought I would get approved. From the first class I took, where they teach you to work Canvas and set up your One Drive, I said, ‘This is what I was missing. This is what I needed.’ I felt so welcome. It was kind of cool. It took me longer to finish because I have a full-time career and a full-time family.”
Carving a niche
Nardi was born and raised in Reno. He opted to not follow in the footsteps of many of his family members and work as a miner. He graduated with an associate degree in law enforcement from Great Basin College in 2008.
“I didn’t feel like the associate degree was enough,” he said. “Even as I looked at those graduation robes, I thought there’s more I can do. I’m the oldest, so I always felt like I needed to do more. I never got into the mining thing; I wanted a solid job.”
The flexibility of the online format was important to Nardi. He and his wife, Kya, also have a son, Francisco (6).
“It made it very manageable,” he said. “I had to balance my time management. Once I did, it was a reset every semester. Once I found that nice groove, it worked out very well.
“On my lunch breaks, I was able to complete assignments or work on assignments. If I had down time, I got my essays together and put the information together, which came a little easier with my police background.”
Nardi squeezed in schoolwork whenever he could while sacrificing as little time with his family as possible.
“It became easier to go to McDonald’s with my son on a Saturday, let him play in the play place, connect to Wi-Fi and work on my schoolwork,” he said. “It’s time management. You have to find a way to pull it off while entertaining everyone else.”
Nardi’s favorite courses in the degree program were electives, which have both come in handy in his life.
“Magic, Witchcraft and Religion was phenomenal,” he said. “I learned so much. It so happened that after I took that class I went to a house on a call, and the lady was acting erratically. I’m looking around her house and could see she believes in witchcraft and voodoo. It really related.
“Fundamentals of Wine was cool because I like wine anyway. It opened my mind and my palate to more wines. Now, I can talk about it more. I got a boysenberry wine while I was in Boise for graduation.
“The communication classes also worked really well. All except for maybe the math I have been able to relate to my career field.”
Flexible learning path
Nardi walked the graduation stage at commencement so his kids could see the result of his hard work.
“It was a blast,” he said. “I was a little nervous because I’m obviously old. In one of my classes, I was teamed up with a woman named Courtney Troutt. We had a project together. I made a video for our final. I am a theatrical kind of guy. I did a fireside chat video.
“The professor said she always requires everyone to have a contributing part to the final video. I’m the only one on the video, but she loved it. We got a 100. I had Courtney in my final class, as well. She was there for graduation. We sat together and made a new friend, which made me more comfortable.”
With a bachelor’s degree under his belt, Nardi plans to earn a promotion within his department in the near future.
“I tested for promotion to the detective bureau,” he said. “Everything has worked out not as planned but for a reason, as it’s supposed to. With me graduating, I am number four on the list for the detective bureau. I hope to be promoted in the next few months.
“I can now focus on my job with graduation behind me. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to be promoted to sergeant. Now that I’m getting older, I have eight years left until I retire. I am pondering maybe going into politics.”
Nardi, a golf enthusiast, believes making time for the important things in life is a key to success as an online student.
“If you have a full-time job and more than full-time family, I suggest finding time for them,” he said. “I would leave work and go home to do homework. I would try to get as much done as I could so I could spend as much time away from school and with them as possible.
“I absolutely got good value out of my experience. I went to a career fair at another university and pulled somebody aside to tell them about it. As I start to represent with my Boise State alumni gear, I will hold my head a bit higher.”
Learn more about the applied science program
Earning an online Bachelor of Applied Science from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I earn a bachelor’s degree while working full time?
Yes. Daniel Nardi completed Boise State’s online Bachelor of Applied Science while working full time as a police officer and raising a family.
Does Boise State accept transfer credits?
Transfer credit policies vary by student, but Nardi was able to transfer all previously earned credits into his degree pathway.
Who is the online Bachelor of Applied Science designed for?
The program is designed for working professionals and students who have previously earned college credits and want to complete a bachelor’s degree online.
What is Boise State’s Online Degree Pathway?
The Online Degree Pathway helps students maximize previously earned credits and create a personalized path to bachelor’s degree completion.