SPEA Profile -- Nikki White
We have five questions for Nikki White. Nikki is a 1998 graduate of SPEA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Affairs. She is a Senior Associate at PRIZIM Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi Consulting in their environmental sustainability solutions practice. Nikki is based in the Washington, D.C. area and offers expertise in a range of environmental issues to corporate and government clients.
1. What’s your best memory of your time at IU?
My best memories of IU are the friends I made and all the fun experiences I had. There is so much to do at IU, you can get overwhelmed. Once you settle on a degree and take up some extracurricular activities, you make friends and the campus feels like home. From a lecture by Mikhail Gorbachev, to rowing crew at 5am, to the craziness of an IU basketball game with Coach Knight, where else could you get this exposure to so much life can offer?
2. How did you find SPEA?
I started out as a geology major. Then a chemistry major until organic chemistry did me in. I was interested in environmental studies since grade school and finally found SPEA where I could use some of my science background and combine it with real life problem solving.
3. How has your SPEA degree helped in your career growth?
Everything I do in my career has a foundation in the coursework and knowledge I learned at SPEA. The environmental field changes constantly and a lot of what you learn is on the job, but SPEA prepares you for the environmental workforce. You know the acronyms, regulations, and science of the industry. You learn how to research, prepare reports and hit the ground running at your first job.
4. Tell us about someone you met during your college years who made a lasting impact on you?
I can’t pin down one person who has a lasting impression on me. I think it’s the sum of all the people I met and interacted with at SPEA and IU that keeps me tied back to the university. I am involved with the alumni association to give back to the place that made me who I am today.
5. Give incoming freshmen one tip, one thing you wish you had known?
If something sounds interesting try it. If it’s not for you, try something else. College is your time to have fun, find yourself and become the person you dream to be. It all starts here at IU. What you do with your time at IU can help get you on the path to the life you want for yourself.
To read more about Nikki, check out her profile on our alumni page. Read more....