Dear Fellow Alumni
I am very fortunate that I am able to call you “fellow alumni.” Like most of you, I was a standout student in high school. Unlike most of you, however, it was for all the wrong reasons. I was not a great student (poor grades, many absences, etc.), and it was possible Nazareth could have rejected my application. It was only through the good grace of my parents who refused to give up on me, the recommendation of the late-great soccer coach Doug May, and a few admissions officers at Nazareth that I was given a chance at the College and accepted.
In 2003, I moved into Kearney 1 East, and my life has never been the same since. Coach May followed by Coach Gilbertson taught me the responsibilities and the great joys that come along with being part of a team. While this lesson would have been learned regardless of our record, it certainly didn’t hurt that we went to the Elite 8 in NCAAs my senior year! Nazareth changed my academic life as well with the help of the stellar professors of the history and philosophy departments, who helped instill in me what has become my life-long love of learning.
After Nazareth, I went on to earn a master’s degree in history from the University of Utah and a J.D. from the University at Buffalo, which resulted in my current employment as a trusts and estates and elder law attorney with Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP, here in Rochester. I also married my wife Randi, whom I met at Nazareth, and we now are the loving parents of my first-born son Levi, who will undoubtedly pay me back for the trouble and anxiety I caused my parents.
Nazareth gave me a chance to succeed and life-changing friends and mentors. It is because of these experiences that I have come back to volunteer my time as chair of the admissions committee on the alumni board. In my new role, I hope to help continue Nazareth’s legacy of developing well-rounded individuals that have a deep appreciation of their educational experiences and commitment to the people around them.
If you would like to join me in supporting Nazareth’s enrollment efforts by sharing your story or serving on the Alumni Admissions Committee, please contact the alumni office at alumni@naz.edu or 585-389-2472.
Nick Proukou ’07
Chair, Admissions Committee, Alumni Board
