Her Story
About Nicole
I've worked in media and communications pretty much my whole career, with storytelling always at the center of everything I do. I've been a writer since I was young, and I realized as I got older that storytelling is such an important part of everything we do - everything that we're connected to, we are generally connected because of some kind of story. This passion has taken me through diverse experiences: I worked on a TV show for a while helping tell stories there, I produced a public access show for the NAACP in Spokane, Washington called Challenging the Narrative that focused on different stories throughout the community, and I delivered a TED Talk back in 2022. I'm an alumna of the University of North Texas, and I discovered there was a storytelling component available in the advancement division that I had never considered. I started having conversations about it even before they had open positions because I was really intrigued, and I came in on the ground floor of what they're wanting to do with storytelling. As the Senior Communications Strategist for Alumni Engagement, I focus specifically on the strategy of how communication works - who we're targeting for our alumni audience and why, gauging how they're interacting with what we communicate, and adjusting as needed. My role involves managing multiple projects at any given time, and managing our North Texas Network platform. It's all about making sure we're connecting with and engaging alumni and those who have the capacity to give back with their time, money, or resources.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nicole
01What do you attribute your success to?
Humility is a big part of why I believe I've been successful thus far. I don't always get it right, but my goal is to always remain humble and open to the possibility that I still have more to learn. I greet every challenge with the understanding that it can be overcome and then just commit to figuring out how. I am also a servant leader, and I believe my purpose in this life is to inspire and empower others. When your focus is giving back and paying it forward, I believe success (however you define it) is inevitable.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Be open to possibilities. My storytelling desire and inspiration led me back to the university where I graduated from and got my degree, but I would never have considered coming back in this way, because I didn't know that my passions would align in that way. So being open to new possibilities and opportunities that will drive your passion in new ways is always important.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
A lot of times it'll be intimidating, because there are a lot of big words, and big terms, and big ideas, and so being able to step into the space, feeling the fear, being afraid, and doing it anyway will take you further than you can imagine. It is going to be intimidating, it is going to be scary, it is going to be new, and so understanding that that is just a part of the process, and walking forward anyway, will be one of the biggest rewards on the other side.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
As we learn to navigate challenges brought forth by legislation that may not necessarily align with the values and culture of higher education, we are learning new ways to achieve the same goals. We're in a time where the liberties that we may have often taken for granted are being stripped away but those who do not understand the significance of the work we do. It is our job to stand firm and persevere in the fact of these uncertain times because the next generation is depending on us to do so. But even knowing that, some days are hard... and on those days, we must lean on our faith to see us through.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me are honesty and integrity, both personally and professionally... and measured equally in both. I wholeheartedly believe that how a person does one thing is how they do everything... so if a person shows a lack of integrity at work, it's very likely they lack integrity at home, and vice versa.
I pride myself on being a person of humility, as previously mentioned, and although I don't always get it right, my goal is to always operate from a place of humility and authenticity that speak to my character and values.
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