By RONALD SCHACHTER
DUDLEY, Mass.—Nichols College senior and future financial analyst Colin Brown ’19 heard about the College a lot earlier than most of his classmates.
“Actually, my mom’s an alumna,” he said. “Throughout my college application process, she always said ‘Check Nichols out.’”
Mom turned out to be right.
“I completely fell in love with the atmosphere, the community, and the campus,” Brown said. “I could see the amount of opportunities here. I got a really great feeling that the professors are preparing us for careers after college, doing anything in their power to get connected in a network of people along the career path we’re trying to take.”
His time at Nichols has fulfilled his first impressions, and more.
“Life at Nichols in one word is ‘family,’” he noted. “You can be walking to one class and say ‘Hi’ to 10 people and get pulled aside by one or two professors, who might say, ‘How’s that application to Merrill Lynch going?’”
Side note: The application was successful.
Brown has done his own part in getting connected and advancing his career path, starting with his work in the Nichols alumni office.
“Nichols alumni are always open to talk,” he said. “You can send them a resume. I’ve met a number of alumni who have taken groups of us around their offices in New York City and sat down with us one-on-one to talk about the experience.”
He added: “It’s amazing how many alumni give back and invest in our future. Especially during Homecoming, you can see how many alumni come out. Once you leave Nichols, you’re still family.”
Brown has literally taken the lead through the college’s extensive Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), which stretches from sophomore through senior year. His will represent the second graduating class that has gone through ELP’s entire combination of curriculum and hands-on activities.
Brown serves on the ELP board. He also is a member of the Nichols Student Alumni Society, an orientation leader for new students, and he has logged more than 350 hours of community service, mostly as an active participant in the local Big Brother/Big Sister program.
“I’ve been with my Little Brother Sebastian for several years,” Brown said. “It takes a lot of my time, but it’s a great opportunity.”
Ronald Schachter teaches English and journalism at Nichols College and is senior writer in the Nichols Office of Marketing and Communications.