Nicole Lynn Hurtado

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“The fire within me has been a force moving me to pursue a life committed to social justice. I know that my actions and success have influenced my children and others in my community, and that I have a strong voice inside of me to share with those whose voice has been silenced.”

  • Program: 2009 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: Beaverton, OR
  • Hometown: Beaverton, OR
  • Age: 37

Biography

PROFILE: Life has thrown Nicole “Nikki” Hurtado quite a few curve balls. When she was forced to drop out of high school at 17 because she was pregnant, she thought would lead “a life of mediocrity and expendability.” She held one minimum-wage job after another until she and her husband temporarily relocated to his native Mexico in 2001. There, she first realized how an education could turn her life around. “My time there (Mexico) opened my soul to the true gifts of life and the people that I met showed me true sacrifice and dedication for the things that matter.” Nikki decided to go after the education she abandoned years before. She made the decision to begin college because she wanted to give her children a better life, but also with the added goal of helping young women like her “find a softer bottom than the rock hard one I hit.” 

 INSPIRATION: During that short period in Mexico, Nikki had her first taste of teaching at an English Conversation Club. Her best student was actually a second grade teacher who paid Nikki twenty percent of her salary so she could learn proper English. The sacrifice of time and money her student showed so she become a better teacher was an important life lesson for Nikki.
 
ASPIRATION: It is Nikki’s goal to earn a graduate degree in education along with an endorsement in English as a Second Language. She hopes to effect change and to serve her local and global communities.
 
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: When Nikki first arrived at Pacific University, she was worried she wouldn’t measure up. But she built a support system that nurtured her. As a result, she has mentored other community college transfer students at Pacific. Nikki is also passionate about eventually teaching the social sciences in high school. As a former high school dropout, she looks forward to working with at-risk students. “I have an affinity for those students whom society feels have no chance at success,” Nikki says.
 
ACCOLADES: She received Dean's Academic Achievement Award for 2009 and graduated Summa cum laude from Pacific Universtiy.
 
INTERESTING FACT: Nikki loves to dance.

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