Wyatt Nicholson

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Blue Ridge Campus has a new Student Government Association (SGA) vice president, and the leader is full of surprises. Nicholson didn't grow up in the area, but through a series of events, including holiday visits and vacations to the family's Blue Ridge cabin, the native Texan realized he could see himself on a small and intimate campus.

Now a sophomore, Nicholson started his journey at UNG as a Blue Ridge Scholar, a cohort-based program of incoming freshmen with engagement activities throughout the year culminating in a service project.

"The scholars program fosters a lot of the student leaders on the Blue Ridge Campus like me," Nicholson said.

Currently pursuing an associate degree in business administration, the leader enjoys singing at his church, playing the piano, photography and videography, and graphic design. His passions help describe who the hardworking and sociable student feels he is. His love of singing led him to help form the second organization on the Blue Ridge Campus, and he was able to use his love for design as the communications chair for SGA during his freshman year.

Some of Nicholson’s favorite things about UNG are its events, and he looks forward to outdoor activities, including its Bocce ball tournament, a game popularized in Italy and similar to bowling. These events bring out students in spite of their campus's size.

He shared the unity exhibited during these events is what makes him a great leader and alluded to how this can be seen in yet another one of his hobbies, film.

"I'm a huge movie geek and I love 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.' It has a great metaphor of a character holding a stick that he can easily break. When he grabs more at one time, it's harder to break," he said.

Still early in his post-secondary education, Nicholson isn't sure what the future holds for him after graduation, but he hopes to intern for one of the largest freight railroad networks in North America, BNSF Railway, where his dad has worked for 30 years.

"For most of my life I've had the dream to work for BNSF Railway because it's a really great company," Nicholson said. "I'm not sure what field, but I want to explore different avenues. Whatever I can do in terms of business."

Nicholson shared he just wants to see his peers succeed. He believes getting involved and taking leaps of faith, like he did traveling nearly 900 miles away from home, is the way to do it.