Her Story
About Nikki
My journey in higher education began 19 years ago when I applied for an Assistant Director of Financial Aid position at our local community college in my small town. I was looking for a long-term career path, and working with students turned out to be incredibly rewarding - helping them see what their opportunities really can be and figuring out how they can afford to do it. I left the college briefly to work at another institution in a higher-level position, which gave me valuable experience seeing how different environments operate even within the same industry. I then came back to Allen Community College as an academic advisor, where I spent about 5-6 years working with students, guiding them, and helping them choose classes, majors, and transfer opportunities. I eventually became the Director of Advising, and then the Director of Enrollment Management, my current position. In this role, I oversee not only advising, but also admissions and recruitment, international admissions, and I was also responsible for marketing for the college for a period. In community colleges, we wear a lot of hats, and I've learned and grown tremendously. But at the heart of it, I still get the opportunity to help students and people figure out what their opportunities are, and I still have a lot of passion for the industry and what we're doing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nikki
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think a lot of my success probably comes from being very competitive as a kid, but also being a team player. I played a lot of sports, and I learned a lot from my family, from my coaches and teachers along the way, but also from teammates. I feel like we learn so much along the way - some really hard knock lessons where you go 'well, I won't be doing that again,' but others where it's a whole aha moment of 'hey, this is really great.' Even starting off in higher ed, the director I worked for and I got along very well. She was really easy to work with and had been there for a long time, so it's all, for the most part, been positive for me.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The first thing I would say is you're probably not going to get it right the first time, and it's okay. We're human, we don't have superpowers, we don't have a magic crystal ball. Follow your heart and your gut, and really think about what's important to you and what you value to help make the decisions that you're trying to make in life, whether that's career readiness, college readiness, relationships - there's just so many different things. One thing I've really kind of had to learn just from life experiences is just you have to trust yourself.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I do think some of the challenges are growth, because you do hit a point where there are fewer opportunities to grow, especially when you're not looking to relocate - my son is still in high school, and my husband has a really great job. The environment itself is challenging too - we're coming up on an enrollment cliff, and we know there are fewer students that are traditional-age college students, and that's a struggle. I think opportunities are what you make them. I literally can get through the hardest day if I've helped one student to achieve something, or I've helped work through an issue we're trying to come up with some resolution for at the college. Being a part of it and contributing to success where I work is a really positive thing for me.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Trust, loyalty - those are super important to me. Personally, I want to feel valued as part of the organization. Therefore, I also want to make sure other people know that they're valued for what they do and what they bring to the table.
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