Nikki is, at heart, a teacher. She finds students exciting, engaging, and entertaining. Innovative and inventive - she is always trying something new in the classroom. She works to develop an engaging classroom culture by discovering where students are, where she am, and where we all need to go together. With that end goal in mind, she works to create a mutually beneficial learning environment.

Nikki believes it is her  job to teach, not tell. Every human has a purpose and finding that purpose is just one of the mysteries of life. She encourage all students to become curious, understand how they learn, and discover their passion. Once they become curious, their purpose and passion can found and nurtured . . . work is no longer work and we realize, 'it's not how smart you are, but how you are smart.'

She teaches in the field of Communication and Media-specifically Communication Research Methods, Leadership, Community Engagement, and Cornerstone (an integrated writing/speaking course). While this is her passion - she believes her purpose in rooted in helping others identify their passions and encourage them on the path to self-fulfillment and actualization.

Nikki's research interest lies in student exit from higher education. While an abundance of resources are put into the transition into college (e.g. FYO programs, extended orientation, peer mentoring, campus engagement programs) the end of a student's experience in higher education is largely unsupported. Her goal is to create programs and resources that ease the transition into living a live of passion and purpose.