Our NSC Star: John Nicpon
I'd like to nominate John Nicpon for this award because of his hard work, which often goes unrecognized outside of OIT. His dedication to his job responsibilities is what keeps our Blackberries running and our e-mail coming in, amongst other contributions. As his most recent display of commitment, he spent three weekends in a row on campus resolving server malfunctions due to the excessive heat. On one of the occasions in which I was present, he was here more than 12 hours!
About John
John Nicpon first came to Nevada State College as a student in the fall of 2004. A year later he was a valued student employee. And only a year after that, he was hired full time. As the Manager of the Server Operations Center every student, staff and faculty member is reliant on his expertise and goodwill.
John is mostly known for his IT skills and for good reason. He’s been building his resume as a systems administrator and computer consultant since he was in high school, even owning his own company, being recognized by Microsoft and awarded special certifications and professional opportunities when he was still just a teenager.
However, some people might be surprised to learn that when John completes his Bachelor degree this December – with a 3.98 GPA – it won’t be in a technical field. His degree with high distinction will be a BA in English. In fact, he says, “I set my sights on graduate school with a career goal of obtaining a Ph.D. in English to instruct and publish.”
During his time at Nevada State College, John has been a Senator with NSSA, the Chapter President of Sigma Tau Delta (International English Honor Society) and the recipient of the Provost Award.
But with all of his academic and professional achievements, John says that his most personally rewarding accomplishment has been courting and marrying his wife, Bridget.
In his free time, he enjoys traveling to California or New Orleans (when he can), reading, visiting museums, watching B-movies, playing guitar and Wii. Almost anything, as long as it’s not working on computers.
Fun Facts
- This past summer, John earned high grades in four summer classes while having to dedicate time after hours to maintain our system's running, and providing innovative solutions for NSC's IT infrastructure.
- John met his wife Bridget at the Starbucks at the Fashion Show Mall. After getting up the nerve to approach her, he bought her a coffee, and convinced her to go with him to the Guggenheim Museum for a spur-of-the-moment date. The rest is history.
- After graduation, he is planning his first trip to Europe and is especially looking forward to seeing Rome.