Get to Know Your Cooke Alumni Engagement Manager: Gabby Nicholas
Gabby Nicholas
2014 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, University of Florida; 2019 Graduate Scholar, Northwestern University
Introduction
Gabby Nicholas (she/her) is the Alumni Engagement Manager at the Foundation, providing engagement opportunities for Cooke Scholar Alumni. Before joining the Cooke Foundation as a Staff member, Gabby worked at the University of Wisconsin – Madison as the Assistant Director of Diversity Equity & Inclusion Signature Programs, and the Assistant Director of the Center for Cultural Liberation at Dominican University in River Forest, IL. She’s worked for the Pat Tillman Foundation as the Digital Engagement Coordinator supporting military veterans, military spouses, and active-duty service members. Gabby also worked for Bottom Line in Chicago as a Success Advisor for first-generation college students. Lastly, she completed a fellowship with 12PLUS, a non-profit organization in Philadelphia focused on empowering high school students to succeed in education beyond high school.
Gabby holds an A.A. in General Education from Seminole State College in Florida and a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Florida. She also holds a Master’s of Science in Higher Education Administration and Policy from Northwestern University.
What was one defining moment from your time as a Cooke Scholar that still resonates with you today?
I still remember the moment I learned that I was a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar! I was attending the graduation dinner for my community college’s honors college. I can still picture the moment like it happened yesterday - my parents and I were sat at the same table as the college’s president, and at the end of the dinner, the honors director stood up at the podium and announced to the room, “At Seminole State College, we have been honored to have several Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship recipients in the past few years. This year, I’m proud to share that we have our eighth Jack Kent Cooke Scholar - Gabriella Nicholas.” Even before she said my name, I started bawling, because I knew I was the only semi-finalist from my college. It was such a special moment to receive the scholarship, especially getting the news in a room with my parents and closest college friends. It’s a memory I’ll always hold close!
How has being part of the Cooke community shaped your personal and professional journey?
It has been an absolutely instrumental part of my journey. From giving me a safe and reliable community in my college town during my first semester as a transfer student, to hosting me and showing me around when I would travel to a new city. I also got my first job after undergrad because of Cooke Alum Larry Thi, who happens to be the same Alum who helped me get my current role at the Foundation! THANK YOU, LARRY! To this day, my fellow Cookies are the first people I’ll reach out to when I travel to a new city, or when I have a career question.
What inspired you to come back and work directly with Cooke alums after your own scholar experience?
Back in 2014 when I attended my first Scholars Weekend, I told my mom I would love to work for the Foundation one day. I loved seeing the care and space Scholars held for each other. As I progressed in my career, first working for 12PLUS, a Philadelphia education non profit, and then for Bottom Line, a college access and success organization in Chicago, I knew that my heart was in the non-profit/education space. In graduate school, I interned for a scholarship foundation, the Pat Tillman Foundation, and had an incredible experience working in scholar engagement. When the Alumni Engagement position opened up at the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, my mom reminded me how I had always wanted to work for the organization that gave me so much. Even though working in the Alumni space was new to me, I knew that throughout my career I’ve always stayed connected to the community - serving as a Regional Chapter Leader in Chicago, volunteering on the Alumni Engagement Council, presenting at local schools through the Cooke Outreach Representative Program, and leading an affinity group for LGBTQ+ Scholars. It was the easiest career decision I’ve made - and I’m so grateful to be in my position.
Was there anything about the alum community that surprised you when stepping into this role?
It wasn’t a huge surprise, but it was wonderful to see how ready and excited Alums were to volunteer and step into supporting roles for the Foundation.
What’s a “day in the life” like for an Alumni Engagement Manager?
No day is the same, and it varies throughout the year. Currently, a lot of my work is focused on summer programming. I’ll typically start with some administrative tasks like checking my individual inbox and the alumni inbox, and scanning LinkedIn for exciting Alum updates. If I have an Alum interview, those are usually scheduled for the morning. I’ll log onto our filming platform alongside the Alum interviewee and Nick Ciorogan, the Foundation’s Media Production Manager, for the conversation. Throughout the year, I’m typically planning an in-person event, whether that’s Scholars Weekend, Cooke Connections, or regional celebrations and meet ups. I also work on compiling Alum blogs and updates for the monthly Alumni Buzz newsletter.
Some evenings, I’ll end work with either a Alumni virtual panel - our most recent session was “After the Layoff: Navigating the Pivot with Confidence,” or an Alumni Engagement Council meeting.
What’s one initiative or event you're most proud of implementing or supporting within the alumni program so far?
One of my favorite initiatives I’ve helped implement are Cooke Connections events! It’s been so fun traveling to different pockets of the United States where we have large populations of Scholars and Alums and hosting networking events and company site visits. From Boston to San Francisco, and New York to Philadelphia - it’s been incredible to see and support Scholars and Alums connect with each other.
Who or what inspires you outside of work?
In addition to our wonderful community of Cooke Alums, a huge source of inspiration comes from my wife Sarah! She is the hardest working person I know, and she has taught me so much about what it means to show up and live as authentically as possible.
If you want to reach out to Gabby to share any Alumni engagement ideas or if you have any questions about staying connected, please email her here.