Rachel Decker
The Paw Print
19-year-old Nicole Maxwell, Adams State freshman and Student Scholar of the Week, has already made a name for herself in the short time she has attended college. Maxwell has a passion for teaching and takes her education seriously, knowing that furthering her knowledge will be of great use to her later on in life.
Majoring in Education, Maxwell is working hard to maintain good grades and accomplish the goals she has set for herself. She is very self-motivated and strives to be the best she can, currently holding all A’s and B’s in her classes. Graduating high school is something she prides herself on, because of all the hard work she put towards her diploma. She says it is considered her greatest accomplishment.
“Honestly, graduating high school was a big deal! I went to one of the top high schools in Colorado and it was never easy. I had my doubts senior year, so walking across that stage was the best feeling ever,” Maxwell says.
Even now, Maxwell does her best to achieve what she wants to. Dr. Richard Baker, her faculty nominator, says that Maxwell stood out because of her enthusiasm for learning and her positive outlook.
“I like her maturity, honesty, and sense of humor. Plus, her progress is incredible,” Baker praises. “She is now writing some of the best papers in my class, and this demonstrates that she has learned something from me. This is very rewarding for anyone who teaches. I love seeing a student’s face light up like Nicole’s when she understands the concepts that I am teaching, which is then reflected in her writing.”
Once Maxwell graduates, she has plans to begin teaching third grade. She admits that she has already changed her major once, and that sticking to a decision is difficult because there is a lot she would love to do.
“I really want to be a teacher, I love kids and I think that’s something I would be good at,” Maxwell enthuses. “A dream job for me would be something that included a lot of traveling. I think it would be fun to see the world. I heard something about chocolate tasting too; you could never go wrong with making a living off of eating chocolate.”
Maxwell understands that her education will not come easy, and she intends to continue to push herself until she achieves her goals. She is a strong-willed individual that, so far, has not given into the pressures of college life. Many freshmen struggle with motivation, but this is one thing that Maxwell certainly does not lack.
“I am successful because I never gave up,” says Maxwell adamantly. “Learning has never come easy to me. I had numerous tutors throughout elementary school and I just had to find different ways to learn: sometimes I have to read the same sentence five times out loud to make some sense of it, sometimes I would even need my mom to read something to me. My family always helped me and pushed me and they’re a huge reason I am where I am today.”
So long as the correct amount of effort is put into schoolwork, success will eventually be given to those who deserve it. Maxwell’s family helped her a lot with her desire to learn, and her unyielding self-motivation has never failed her.
“Everyone measures success differently,” Maxwell says. “My sisters and I are very competitive and we would always argue about who got a better grade on their physics test or who passed a certain class with the highest grade. To me success is the pride of a job well done. Since I had a harder time learning, comparing grades didn’t always show my success. At the end of the day if you can honestly tell yourself that you did your best and gave 110 percent, you are successful.”
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