Student Spotlight: Robert Van Nort
Age: 19
Major: Accounting
Hometown: Webster, Ma
Year of Graduation: 2016

All his life, Robert Van Nort had in his mind that he was going to attend Nichols College. He was your average student in high school playing two sports and having a lot of friends around him. That normal life all changed October 5, 2009 when he was sitting in Geometry class with what he thought was just “the worst headache he had experienced.” Seconds later, Robbie lost consciousness and was surrounded by his classmates and teacher, who luckily was a certified E.M.T.

The reason Robbie went unconscious was because there was a tangle of blood vessels on the right side of his brain. When one of the blood vessels popped, it caused him to pass out. While still in the classroom, he regained consciousness for a few moments before losing it again; this happened on more than one occasion that day. He was rushed to a nearby hospital by ambulance where a CT Scan of his brain was performed. After seeing the results of the scan, doctors told Van Nort’s parents that he had little to no chance of surviving this traumatic event. His parents were going to do everything in their power to prove the doctors wrong.

He was transferred to UMass Memorial hospital where he spent six hours in surgery to try to repair the damage done to his brain after this injury. After the surgery, he was sent to I.C.U. (Intensive Care Unit) where he would be in a vegetative state for three days on life support. He would stay at UMass Memorial for two weeks before being sent to Boston’s Spalding Rehabilitation Center. Van Nort spent two months in rehab, missing two semesters of the school year and was given no chance of recovery.

Doctors in Boston then told him, along with his parents, that he would most likely be paralyzed on his left side and go blind. This gave Robbie more inspiration to work towards complete recovery from his injury. He has undergone 2.5 years of physical therapy to work his way back to the life he once had. He is currently on a home program to continue performing therapy for the left side of his body. Unfortunately, this could happen again if the malformation reforms in his brain. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, he must go through a few procedures that will show the doctor if it grew back.

Robbie has achieved major accomplishments since his injury occurred. A few of them are the ability to drive and returning to the track team one semester after suffering his injury. Both would be highly unlikely had he given in to what doctors predicted in terms of his ability to live. Van Nort has achieved a lot in the classroom already after completing just one semester here at Nichols. In the Fall 2012 semester, he achieved a 3.81 G.P.A. and this qualified him for Dean’s List High Honors. As a reward for his success in the classroom, he was invited to the Board of Trustees dinner that takes place in Boston.

Overcoming this hardship would not have been possible if Robbie did not have support from his parents. He states, “My parents would switch off on days they would come to see me but every day one of them would be there. The hospital said they had never seen that.” His advice for anyone who would be suffering is if there is any sign of recovery, “Do everything you can and don’t waste time.”

When bored at his summer job in his home state of Maine, Isaac Redman, app developer, began his search for something to occupy his interest and inspire excitement. In doing so, he decided that he wanted to focus his efforts on designing a website. Through research, though, Isaac discovered that he did not have the resources to do so, but instead stumbled upon a website focusing on the creation of apps – this was the spark that ignited a fire.

Through further research, and the completion of the book App Empire, Isaac took a chance and began the development of his countdown app, My Countdown. He had discovered that countdown apps were extremely popular amongst the consumer and decided this was his best avenue. Aware that he didn’t have the tools to program the app on his own he hired a programmer in Ukraine. Isaac was able to design two versions of his app through a summer’s worth of planning and hand sketches. One version would be available to users for free and the other would be available for 99 cents. The difference, you ask? The free version allows one to count down by days and customize events with a picture, but the 99-cent version allows a user to customize with a picture, countdown by days, hours and minutes and eliminates disruptive advertisements.

Isaac’s My Countdown app has done well since its release in November of 2012 with 1,000 downloads. At this time, Isaac has exhausted his marketing funds, but plans to resume marketing efforts over the summer of 2013. He is eager to work with his Ukrainian programmer to improve the app with push notifications and frequent updates. His biggest goal is for the app to eventually support a majority of all languages in an effort to gain market share. With one app under his belt, Isaac plans to eventually release other apps, which he will base off the popularity of apps trending at that future time. Isaac demonstrates that the use of entrepreneurial skills can lead one to success especially with an increasing need for instantaneous technology.

Target, a company who focuses on finding employees with similar attributes to fit their core values, has, for years now, been developing a relationship with Nichols College for recruitment and hiring purposes. They have made appearances at several of Nichols’ previous career fairs including this years’. The company offers Nichols students high quality internships with guaranteed potential for a full-time position following.

The process for securing a spot as one of Target’s leaders is very detailed and involved – probably to ensure an applicant’s actual interest. Although the process is involved many Nichols applicants agreed that the progression was extremely beneficial. Once applications, resumes, cover letters and requests for interviews were submitted through Nichols’ online Road to Success database, Target notified applicants they were interested in interviewing. Applicants then met Target employees at the Nichols Career Fair through a Target meet and greet. Target also provided an info session for eligible applicants prior to interviews.

Several interview candidates, including Gabriella Sarkis, Kat Floridia and Noelle Palazzi, agreed that the information session was an extremely beneficial portion of this process. During this time, applicants were provided with interviewing tips and were further informed about the company. Applicants were also provided with one on one time when current Target employees provided further direction for the interviewing stage. This simple act of guidance provided several applicants with a feeling of being well prepared come interview day.

A theme of leadership shined not only through interaction between applicants and current employees, but also through the entire interview process. Applicants determined that the characteristic of leadership was top priority when selecting a candidate for an internship position. Candidates were interviewed through scenario-based questions in which they were assessed based on three major components: the situation, their behavior and the outcome. If candidates made it past their first interview they were offered a second interview at Target’s district office in Windsor, Connecticut. Two Nichols students, Gabriella Sarkis and Noelle Palazzi, prevailed to second round interviews making Nichols very proud.

Second interviews required both Sarkis and Palazzi to be even more prepared than they were for their first interviews. Both applicants further familiarized themselves with the company and organized two copies of their resumes, cover letters and recommendation lists prior. They also prepared their answers for possible interview questions and constructed outlines as personal guides – a skill that Nichols College has instilled into their student body. Once their interviews at the district office were complete they waited to learn their fate with the company.

Sarkis has been hired by Target. Both Noelle and Gabby , appreciate the knowledge they have gained from working so closely with Career Services and Target and their employees throughout this process.