Graduating finance major sees real-world connection to her coursework

Nickolette, a Burlington native, learned about asset allocation, portfolio diversification and other financial strategies in her College of Business courses, as well as in business-related campus organizations and extracurricular activities. Her understanding of daily economic news about inflation and interest rates has shown Nickolette the real-world applications of her Blugold education.

“I feel like it’s all coming full circle with how integrated everything is in my life,” Nickolette says of the correlation between her business education and today’s national economy focus. “It’s crazy to see how this all connects to what I have been learning.”

It wasn’t always that way for Nickolette, who will graduate in May with a 4.0 GPA in just three years. In her first years on campus, she recalls sitting quietly in Financial Management Association (FMA) student organization gatherings trying to comprehend the economic jargon used by speakers.

“My freshman year, I didn’t fully understand what was going on,” Nickolette says of those FMA gatherings. “Now I sit in those meetings and fully comprehend what they are saying, raising my hand to ask questions. The experiences I’ve had and what I have been taught at UW-Eau Claire will help me going forward in my personal life and in my career.”

Dr. Pedro Sottile, professor of accounting and finance, says Nickolette is a dedicated and hardworking student who consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to her studies and extracurricular activities. Nickolette is able to balance her academic excellence with active participation in various initiatives, showing her flexibility and drive, Sottile says.

Nickolette played a critical role on UW-Eau Claire’s Chartered Financial Analyst Institute Research Challenge team, where students interact with investment professionals to gain experience in equity analysis, research report writing and presentation skills. Sottile says Nickolette stood out as a leader with her proactive approach and ability to inspire her peers, promoting collaboration and maintaining a positive and motivating atmosphere for her team.

“She excelled in her analytical abilities and was particularly adept at mixing complex financial data into clear statements,” Sottile says. “Her presentation skills were remarkable, as she effectively communicated her team’s findings to a panel of industry experts.”

Nickolette has been active in the FMA student organization, serving two years as treasurer, and was a Campus Ambassador for two years, showing prospective students and their families around campus. She also credits her summer job with helping her become more comfortable talking to large groups.

For three years, Nickolette worked on the Lake Geneva Cruise Line — first as a historical tour guide on the boat providing information about the homes of famous people on the lake — and the past two summers as a mailboat jumper running on and off a boat to deliver mail to residents on Lake Geneva.

“You have to work there for one summer as a tour guide before you can try out to be a mailboat jumper,” Nickolette says. “You have to feel comfortable with public speaking which I wanted to learn to do. When I took the job, people thought I was crazy because they said I was not a public speaker — I had always been a shy little girl. One of the reasons I wanted to do it was I knew it would definitely help me later on in my career with presentations in the business world.

“It has been a fun summer job, being out on the lake, in the sun and running, which I love to do.”

Nickolette says the faculty and staff in the College of Business were instrumental in making her feel comfortable at UW-Eau Claire. The faculty relationships are an aspect of UW-Eau Claire that Nickolette will miss the most as she prepares to embark on her professional career, perhaps as a financial analyst.

“I love when I walk into Schneider Hall and my professors stop and talk to me,” she says. “You don’t just feel like a number here. The professors know you.

“A lot of schools are teaching their students but aren’t really connecting with them. Here, professors don’t mind if you stay 10 minutes after class to ask a question. They’re not irritated or think I’m wasting their time. They know I want to learn and better myself. I think the relationship building is so special here at UW-Eau Claire.”