This Volunteer Appreciation Week, we are showing love to longtime PeerForward volunteers like Nicole Lekus! Nicole is a Global HR Manager at BARE International who regularly serves as a Writing Coach at our summer Workshops. She has been a part of the PeerForward family for 16 years now, and we are so grateful for her continued dedication to our Peer Leaders. We caught up with her to ask about what keeps her coming back year after year:
What drives you to serve first-generation, low-income students?
College did not come easy to me – I spent seven, grueling years earning that degree. While I can never relate to being a first generation, low-income student, I can relate to struggles in life. The pride and accomplishment I felt when I got that degree should not be limited to those of us living in privilege. It should be available to anyone who is willing to work for it.
Please describe the impact of the PeerForward/College Summit volunteering experience.
I have made incredible friends over the past 16 years of volunteering with PeerForward. I have also learned about my own resilience, pushed myself beyond my own comfort zone, and been inspired by the grit, tenacity, kindness, perseverance, dedication, care, compassion, and drive exhibited by the Peer Leaders, staff, and fellow volunteers. I have cried, laughed, and dreamed with my Writing Teams…and have been privileged to see some grow as leaders within the PeerForward family!
In your opinion, why should low-income students pursue postsecondary education?
I work in HR; I am professionally, profoundly aware of how critical a college degree can be to pursuing a career. It opens doors and widens your horizons – both the personal journey of earning a degree and the technical knowledge gained during the process.
