Teachers are tasked with identifying what their students need to learn to be successful in life and figuring out how to break down that information and make it interesting and accessible to the widest variety of learning styles. It’s no small task.”

Nicholas’ Story

Nicholas uncovered his interest in working with youth early in life. After earning a Bachelor of Science in product design from Stanford University, he became a founding City Year Louisiana corps member. In this role, he provided in-class academic support to middle school students who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Next, he gave workshops on HIV/AIDS prevention as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador and trained other volunteers to do the same. Upon his return to the States, Nicholas worked in operations for an education-based nonprofit in New York as its first hired employee.

After deciding to work with youth through formal teaching, Nicholas earned a Master of Arts in secondary mathematics education from Stanford University. Through his participation in the San Francisco Teacher Residency Program, he has committed to teaching in an underserved school within the San Francisco Unified School District for a minimum of three years.

Nicholas is passionate about helping people who think they’re not very good at math realize that they have what it takes to excel in the subject. His fluency in Spanish comes in handy in the classroom, as his school is designed to serve recent immigrants. Through the KSTF community, he hopes “to gain access to teachers with a wide range of experiences and ideas who are constantly thinking about new ways to reach, challenge and support students.”

Nicholas plays the clarinet, the saxophone and the french horn. His pastimes include running and teaching himself to play the guitar.