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Nick Mathews
Nevada State College (NSC) GEAR UP Ambassador

nicholas.mathews@nsc.edu

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

Bio: Nicholas Mathews is currently the GEAR UP Ambassador for Nevada State College in Henderson, Nevada. He was first introduced to the GEAR UP program as a freshman in high school at Mojave High in North Las Vegas, Nevada. His high school was more known for having students that were sent to juvenile detention centers or behavioral schools rather than having students actually graduating and going on to college. His graduating class had a staggering graduation rate of approximately 45% and only a handful matriculated to any post-secondary educational institutions. Without GEAR UP, Nick may have very well been a part of the majority of students that did not graduate from high school, let alone earn a college degree.

GEAR UP introduced him to to his college campus when he took a field trip to UNLV. The program exposed him to things outside of his community that led him to believe that he could strive for much more. By participating in GEAR UP activities and after school tutoring, Nick was able to stay away from the distractions that his peers would succumb to so easily. GEAR UP acted as a support system and motivation to perform his best in school. Nick was able to graduate from Mojave High School as the first African-American male to earn the honors of being the class valedictorian. Without the support and direction from his GEAR UP family, he felt that he would have never been able to earn a 4.72 weighted GPA and earn a full academic scholarship to UNLV. I was able to serve as the President of the Theta Sigma Undergraduate Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Parliamentarian of the Black Student Organization, and participated in the Honors College Student Government for two years before earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.

As a former GEAR UP student, Nick was afforded the opportunity to participate in the GEAR UP Alumni Leadership Academy in Washington, DC. He learned so much about the power of his own voice and using his story to advocate for others. As a GEAR UP student at Mojave High School, Nick would have never thought that he could travel to Capitol Hill to simply tell his story. As a GEAR UP Alumni Leader, Nick has advocated for GEAR UP on Capitol Hill to a room full of congressional representatives and personally in front of Nevada State representatives. Today, he is able to use what he has learned to serve over 5,500 students in the state of Nevada as a GEAR UP Ambassador for Nevada State College. It is truly an amazing feeling to give back to students that need guidance and support just as he did along the journey to higher education. Nick is also acting in two other leadership positions at NSC that he commits to after regular business hours. He is currently the Committee Chair for the Men of Color Committee that was created to increase enrollment, retention, and degree completion rates for Men of Color in Nevada. He is also the Faculty Advisor for the Black Student Organization, which is a culturally based student-lead organization on campus.

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