Erin Nichols is a 19-year-old Sophomore majoring in Biology with a concentration in Pre-Professional hailing from Canton, Mississippi and is currently working on building her legacy here on the Reservation.
While many individuals spend their first few years of college partying and making friends, Nichols took a different path. She has demonstrated in her two years here at Alcorn State University (ASU) just how easy it is to maintain the perfect balance of social life and hard work.
Her first year at ASU she held the title of Miss Freshman. Nichols believes that her previous experience as Miss Canton High School and Junior Class President prepared her for the role of Miss Freshman. She stated, “The foundation that I built for myself in high school gave me an idea of what to expect coming into college.”
However, serving as Miss Freshman was not the only endeavor that she got involved in during her Freshman year. In the Spring of 2024, Nichols was initiated into the Gamma Phi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. Following her Spring initiation she was named Sophomore Class President. She stated, “Although I am taking a different path this year, I am looking forward to exploring my options and serving in a different capacity.”
This year she is looking forward to being a part of Alcorn’s Student Government Association and learning all that she can from it. With her platform she plans on hosting mental health awareness programs and events for her peers. She is also planning on advocating for her classmates to stay true to themselves, keep their faith in God, always try, and learn how to take accountability. Those are the values that she represents and hopes to bring to the Sophomore class as well.
Although Nichols is not sure what her next years at Alcorn will hold, she hopes to leave the campus a better place than it was when she got here. She credits her parents for all of their support, guidance, and love for without them she believes that many of her goals would have been unattainable.
Nichols is more than just the titles that she holds and the letters that she wears. She is a person who doesn’t let change or challenges define her. She believes that whatever she goes through is for a reason and she uses each lesson in her life to become better. “Without meaningful experiences, life would be pointless,” stated Nichols.
Upon graduation she plans on pursuing a career as an orthodontist, but she plans on never forgetting where she got her start. She hopes to one day be able to give back to Alcorn because Alcorn helped shape her into the person that she is becoming.