Alumni Profile: Nicole White ’07

Global studies alumna finds a world of opportunity in nonprofit agency.

As a Global Studies concentrator at Bryant, Nicole White ’07had the world at her fingertips. Curricula on culture, economics, and history provided White with a comprehensive worldview.

“I chose global studies as my concentration because I liked the idea of learning about the world and seeing things in the big picture,” she says.

The flexibility of the program also gave her the freedom to explore other areas of study and eventually minor in political science and in marketing.

To further broaden her educational experience, she spent her junior year studying in Barcelona, Spain.

“Going to Spain allowed me to really see in person what I had learned in the various language, history, literature, and culture classes I had taken up to that point, and fueled my desire to learn more and travel more,” she says.

“Words just can’t do justice to my study abroad experience. It is the best experience a person can have academically and socially.”

White is a strong advocate of the Sophomore International Experience program, which allows students to spend about two weeks studying abroad in China, Europe, or Latin America.

“I am very much a supporter of the SIE program, and I think that every student should take advantage of that opportunity,” she says.

You might expect that White would now be working for a government agency or a multinational company. Instead, you can find her at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, where she is a development assistant on a wide variety of fundraising projects.

The Boston-based organization is among the largest youth mentoring agencies in the country – doubling in size in the last few years. Operating expenses for 2006 were nearly $7 million, all privately funded by individuals, foundations, and corporations.

That is where White comes in.

“Fundraising for this kind of organization is a good fit for me because it is a business, yet our focus as an organization is on human services,” says White. “I feel good about the work I do and how my job has a positive impact on children in the Boston area.”

While her everyday focus is on helping children, her global studies experiences definitely stimulated her desire to travel and learn. She has already returned to Europe and dreams about where her next journey will take her.

“The skills I learned during my time at Bryant have definitely helped prepare me for my job and any job I might have in the future,” says White. “Traveling abroad will allow me to put my global studies knowledge to good use.”