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| Image from Full Sail Online Student Profile |
Nicole Lester's voice exudes a natural self-confidence, evident during the first few words of our phone interview. "I'm a 6'1" black woman, I'm not easily intimidated", says the Tallahassee, FL native with calm assertiveness. Nicole, 38, currently lives in D.C. with her husband of 13 years, her oldest son, 16, their 12-year old son and 4-year old daughter.
When I asked her if she ever developed an insecurity growing up from being tall, she quickly assured me, "no, I never developed insecurities because my whole family is tall and my friends were tall. The shortest member in my family is 5'6. I grew up in a time where designers made clothes longer to accommodate me."
Although Nicole is the kind of person who stands tall, figuratively and literally speaking, she does fear 2 things in life, "I fear drowning, I’m from Florida but I don't swim." What does she fear from life in general? "Fear of failing maybe," Lester adds after brief thought.
Although Nicole is the kind of person who stands tall, figuratively and literally speaking, she does fear 2 things in life, "I fear drowning, I’m from Florida but I don't swim." What does she fear from life in general? "Fear of failing maybe," Lester adds after brief thought.
As a child, Nicole wanted to be a nurse but as she grew older she began hating needles and liking politics instead. In college, she wanted to become an attorney. She obtained a degree in Pre-Law/Political Science. After working in politics for a few years, Nicole enjoyed the client representation aspect of the field the most.
What does she hope to achieve with a Master's in New Media Journalism? "I want to be a publicist. I worked in politics and enjoyed representing people but it’s hard in politics. Even with great intentions, it's hard to do your job with all the external influences at play." She acknowledges the importance of representing public figures. "There is a proper way of representing, marketing and building the image of an individual," she concludes.
She mentioned how celebrities like Chris Brown are in dire need of a good Publicist. Speaking of singer Chris Brown, I asked Nicole what type of music she enjoys listening to. "A lot of R&B and reggae. I’m usually a mellow person, that’s why I listen to a lot of RnB. But when I’m working out or working around the house, I like some reggae," she says.
Nicole considers her uncle to be the greatest influence in her life, "He was extremely motivated and driven. He left a small town and became successful. A good Christian man and a role model.” She also shared with me her secret to happiness, " the secret is being myself and being true to me, paying attention to my feelings, my image."
