Recently I ran for secretary of the class of 2018, unopposed (must be because people were too scared to run against me, ha) and won! I am so excited to be secretary because I want to be able to contribute to the class of 2018 and make a lasting mark here at Nichols College. The other officers and I are ready to see this year come to an end and to start next year with a bang!

I disliked not knowing what was going on with my class and felt as though running for class secretary was probably the best idea so that I could be involved in all decisions as well as keep my class updated. Knowing that I can help make a difference for the class of 2018 is exhilarating.

In high school, I never ran for class officer or got involved with student government, so this is a big step for me. I have watched both of my brothers excel in being an officer for SGA and wanted to do the same. I learned from listening to my brothers that I should always take notes and be open to ideas from my peers. Listening is one of my greatest qualities, and I know I will be a fabulous secretary because of it.

Our last event as freshmen will be held on May 1. We are having a class social in the Fels Main Lounge for freshmen only! We will have a slideshow of photos sent in from anyone and everyone in our class to reminisce about freshman year. We will also have games and food. Come dressed in your best red, white and blue as that is the theme. The social will begin at 8:00 p.m. and will end at 10:00 p.m.

Calling all freshmen: make sure you come and celebrate the end of your first year as a Bison with your fellow classmates! The party is also a kick off for the dreaded finals week and a way for everyone to relax. We want the class of 2018 to be a close-knit group so we can continue to have more fun and exciting events together.

I want to thank everyone who voted for me. I am so excited to be a part of the class of 2018 board and cannot wait to work with my fellow officers. We are already starting to plan future events because there is no time to wait! The class of 2018 will leave Nichols College legendary if my peers continue to vote for me.

The Third Annual Elevator Speech Competition was held on April 7, 2015. Twenty-three contestants participated, an increase from 17 last year. Contestants ranged from first-year students to seniors. There were four judges: Patrick Holland ’88 a member of the CHK Group of Wells Fargo Advisors; Patrick Mullane, Vice President & General Manager of Technetics, Inc., who has also served as an Air Force officer and managed an intelligence-gathering satellite constellation for the CIA; Mackenzie Walsh ’12, staffing manager at Robert Half for the OfficeTeam division; and President Engelkemeyer, the seventh and current president of Nichols College. Professor Luanne Westerling coordinated and supervised the event with the help of Senior Class President, Andrew Haas who served as the student moderator/emcee.

In this case, an elevator speech is a one-minute pitch about you and your best qualities and skills that set you apart from the crowd. The name originates from the concept that a speech should be delivered in the time it takes for an elevator ride, which is generally 30 seconds to a minute. Nichols Elevator Speech Competition consists of a panel of judges that comment and rate contestants’ performances after the speech is delivered.  Each contestant is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. Also, if one goes over the time limit of one minute, points are deducted, so contestants must practice!

This year all three winners were freshmen! It is so exciting to see the immense participation by the freshman class. Tori Wolter, the winner, gave a riveting speech about herself and her younger sister who has Bipolar Depression. Her speech was so inspiring that I actually cried after her speech; she really did a tremendous job capturing the audience’s attention. She ended her first ever Elevator Speech Competition with a perfect score of 40 and the grand prize of $300. Second place was Martin Fletcher with $200 and third place, Devyn Goncalves with $100. Both Martin and Devyn did an exceptional job. Congratulations to all three winners!

For my effective speaking class, I had to attend the event, listen, rate, and comment on each of the students’ speeches. All of the contestants had remarkable speeches, and everyone conducted themselves confidently on stage. I thought everyone who spoke did an outstanding job and simply the fact that they could stand up in front of a filled Daniels Auditorium really showcased their character. The turnout for the event was so great that I and many others had to sit on the floor. I think next year I will sign up and compete in the Fourth Annual Elevator Speech Competition! I thoroughly enjoyed this event!

Tuesday, March 31^st was no ordinary day at Nichols College. I walked into the President’s Office, on time for my meeting. “President Weeks is ready for you,” Lynn Looby, the President’s assistant told me. I walked into the office, smiling, happy to see my friend and classmate, Chad Weeks, sitting behind the president’s desk.

The “President for a Day” contest was started by Lynn Looby, to give a student the opportunity to experience a day as the President of Nichols. In turn, President Susan Engelkemeyer would attend the student’s classes and daily activities. The day was jam-packed for Chad, starting with a presentation at a meeting with the President’s Council at 8:00a.m. He made sure to make time to hold office hours to meet with students from 10:30-11:30 a.m., then continued on to meet with various faculty, staff and vice presidents.

When I met with Chad that morning, he was excited to take on the day, to see what went on behind the scenes at Nichols and to learn the reasons why decisions are made. He was surprised at the amount of transparency the college displayed, being completely honest about the state of affairs and inner workings.

When asked about his experience, Chad said:

“My favorite part was meeting and speaking with different                       Nichols faculty throughout the day. I learned who they were,                 what they did, and why what they do is so important to our                       campus. I learned the structure in which Nichols College                           works and operates. I have a tremendous improvement in my                 understanding of how a business and our school operates. I                     would definitely do it again if I could. It was a lot of work but I                 had a great experience. I would recommend it to anyone who                 was interested on campus to apply and do it. Not only do you                 get to sit at a cool desk, but you get to work with great people.               My practical knowledge has greatly increased. I would not                       trade the experience for anything else.”

This was a great experience for Chad, and probably President Engelkemeyer as well! I’ve heard that a day in the life of a student is not complete without a round of Madden NFL, which is exactly what she did! Hopefully this will become an annual contest at Nichols College, as a way to connect with the student body and experience both undergraduate life and a day in the role of the president.