by Abbie Tumbleson

Nikki Buchholz finds it hard to believe that a year has already passed since she graduated.

Nikki received her bachelor of arts degree in Mass Communication with a journalism concentration.  She was also a member of the women’s volleyball team.

She is currently completing her masters studies in Sports Management at East Stroudsburg University, located in Pennsylvania, with hopes to become a college volleyball coach.  Nikki would like an internship with the Indiana-based NCAA for a year following grad school.  If the future lines up she would like to stay on the East Coast and pursue a doctorate in sports sociology.

“It’s crazy, I know.  I would really like to coach and teach at a school very similar to Pierce… mostly the small liberal arts type of college,” she said.

The best four years of her life were spent at Franklin Pierce.  Reflecting back on her mass comm. major, she saw it as a huge benefit for any field that she may get into in the future.

She said, “I understand better how to write clearly and concisely which is the biggest blessing that I could have ever received. As “easy” as people claim Pierce to be some times, the benefit of “simplicity” has helped me tremendously. It’s hard to explain until you experience it.”

Nikki spent long hours writing, editing and producing The Exchange and helped her fellow peers.  The teaching aspects of the major will also help her with her coaching aspirations and she understands how to be a team player.

Nikki wished that she could have explored more while during her time in college, but life will no doubt provide her with many adventurous opportunities.

“I think the one thing I regret about my time at Pierce was not trying any of the unique and individual things that happened there. The school tries so hard to put together fun activities for the students and we never went to them. I’m not sure if it was fear or what, but if I could do it again I’d be more involved. Now that I’m in graduate school, I wish I had the opportunity to attend those student activities.”

She stays in touch with the close-knit group of friends and teammates she made in college and claims there is not a group of people that can become so close over four years.

“It was the best place to spend my undergraduate and I’ll always remember it as that. I hope to spread some Pierce love wherever I go.”