Student Profile- Brayden Olsen
"They say that money isn't everything. When you are married, have four kids, are working full-time, and going to school....it is." - Brayden Olsen
Brayden Olsen dreamed of being a high school English teacher for years. After serving in the Air Force and working as a correctional officer, in 2003 he finally decided to pursue his long-awaited teaching degree at Nevada State College. NSC was attractive because of small class sizes and the availability of faculty, staff and administrators. Brayden was also pleased to receive the Shaw Family and Marydean Martin Scholarships which provided him with the much needed financial support that allowed him to “pay for and afford college…without worrying about paying it back.”
As a student, Brayden was not only successful academically, but in spite of a busy family life and work, found the time to be actively involved on campus. He especially enjoyed being a part of a student organization Teachers of Principle. Involvement at Nevada State College and his academic achievements earned him the honor of being named valedictorian of his class. Olsen graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2007 with a concentration in Secondary Education.
Brayden’s involvement with NSC did not end after graduation. Olsen is now serving as the first President of the Nevada State College Alumni Association and volunteers his time by helping out with various alumni activities such as speaking at Open House for high school students and organizing events for the alumni.
Olsen currently works at Las Vegas High School where he teaches English I Honors, English I and English III. Thanks to NSC’s donors, and specifically the generous scholarships that he was awarded, Brayden was able to pursue his dream of teaching high school English and in particular, “teach students better literacy and citizenship”. Olsen is planning on pursuing his master’s degree in the very near future: "I am a teacher; on the other hand, my students will see that, as I pursue my master's degree, I am also a student. What better way to motivate them, inspire them, and be able to say ‘I understand how you feel’ or ‘I know what it’s like to do homework.’”
Brayden is looking forward to being a role model to his students and his four kids for a long time. He plans on teaching for the next 30 plus years and advocating the importance of education and the difference it can make in students’ lives. “College is not a joke; it is serious preparation for the future… I applied myself in college and it paid off- more than I could have imagined.”