Leading by example – Nicki Backman Taylor
NSCC employees giving back
Nicki Backman Taylor is an NSCC Student Advisor, advocate, and part of a growing list of NSCC employee donors that are making a difference. She is leading a fundraising initiative for the NSCC eCampus College Readiness Fund that will provide eCampus students with access to additional financial supports.
The idea of creating the fund came from working with hundreds of students and hearing a similar story repeated. “I saw far too many students experiencing challenges that the available programs didn’t cover,” Nicki says. “Books and other supplies are an anticipated education cost that is often carefully budgeted, however in many cases, an unanticipated event occurs that derails the plan and suddenly students are left in a situation where they must make great sacrifices and choices in order to stay in their programs.”
eCampus College Readiness Program
The new eCampus College Readiness Program will create a reliable and complementary funding source for education support-related costs, as the current Urgent Aid program is available primarily for students in need of emergency, non-education-related funds.
For Nicki and other employees, it represents the start of a new chapter offering hope to students. “The eCampus is about accessibility. It’s education without boundaries, we meet students where they are, in their homes, in rural communities, and across borders. We want to be able to say ‘...we have these programs that can help you. We are doing everything we can to help you’ and I want my money to go towards that.”
To donate to the eCampus College Readiness Fund, please click here.
Initiatives like these are a testament to NSCC employees' commitment to students. From February to July 2021, nearly 200 employees participated in a donation matching initiative with Johnson Insurance, donating over $29,000 to meet student needs.