Grateful for the Experience
Even a Nebraska snowstorm couldn’t deter Nikko Modica’s decision to attend Midland University.
Seeing mass quantities of snow in the ground isn’t commonplace in Nikko’s hometown of Houston, Texas, so when the senior arrived for his campus visit, a blizzard might have been enough to scare him away. “It had been close to a decade since I had seen snow, and I was looking forward to being in it; I just wasn’t aware of how much snow we could get up here. My dad was struggling to drive, and we all kept slipping, but I loved it here so much that I came anyway.”
There were two factors that influenced Nikko’s decision to attend college more than 13 hours from home – the Walker School of Education and the Midland football team. “I had been recruited by several schools in the GPAC, but I really liked Coach (Jeff) Jamrog and the other coaches, and some of the other players I was on the visit with decided to come here as well.
“The education department really stood out to me, and I had a great visit with Dr. Kerry Williams (Professor of Education). She has been great to work with and really sold me on coming here.”
Nikko is currently student-teaching at Fremont High School in the Physical Education Department. A K-12 Education major, Nikko will have an opportunity to work with elementary students later this semester at Bell Elementary in Fremont. “It’s going to be a big change going from high school to elementary. I know the enthusiasm for PE will be higher for elementary students, but I feel like I can relate to high school students a little better.”
As much as he will enjoy teaching, and potentially coaching, in the future, his ultimate goal is to become a school psychologist. He has already been accepted into one graduate school for the fall and is interviewing with two others. “I took an Intro to Special Education class my sophomore year, and it really opened my eyes to what I could do as a school psychologist. As a PE teacher, my classes are pretty big, and you don’t get to have that one-on-one time with students. I had high school teachers who made an impact in my life, and I want to be able to do the same for future students. Building those relationships and seeing those students develop is the biggest part for me.”
He’s grateful for the relationships he has developed during his time at Midland, especially with his teammates over the past four seasons. “We all came here as strangers, but now we are leaving here as friends. I know my friends back home laugh at me when I say I could spend the rest of my life in this area, but I really could see myself staying here. I’m glad that I came to Midland and am thankful for all the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had. I’m grateful for everything that brought me here.”
Nikko Modica is a senior K-12 Education major from Houston, Texas.
