Currents: who are we
Nicole Iapicca '07. Photo by Larissa Dillman '07.
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Nicole Iapicca '07
Name: Nicole Iapicca
Class year: 2007
Hometown: Reading, Mass.
Major: Communications Studies
Minor: Women's Studies
What activities/jobs are you involved with on campus?
This is my third year working in the video office for Don Coonley for work study, where we tape our weekly television show “Reel Talk” and arrange many other events on campus. I am also a member of the club Safe Zones and I am the editor-in-chief of the student-run campus newspaper the Courier. This is also my third year as a resident assistant (RA). I am involved with the new task force for "Personalizing Colby-Sawyer: The Focus on Enrollment." This is the first year I am not involved with the Dance Club.
Next semester I will be doing my second semester as a teacher's assistant for Don Coonley's pathway class “Rivers.” I am also a certified RAD- Rape Aggression Defense (women's self defense) instructor and I plan on starting up some classes to make available to Colby-Sawyer women.
Do you have any specific goals or changes you would like to accomplish as the editor-in-chief of the Courier?
I am extremely excited to be the editor-in-chief this semester for the Courier, because of all the new changes I have planned. We have an almost entirely new editorial board this year so already the paper has a different dynamic altogether. Zach Ackles and myself have been working together to change the entire layout of the newspaper. Friday, Oct. 12, 2006, marks the first day the Courier will have ever had color. We worked extremely hard to get this far, but I am very excited to see how it turned out because the layout looks very sharp and professional and now, with the new addition of color on the front and back pages, I think we will really start to gain some new readership and interest.
On a smaller scale I have also just re-established the previously inactive e-mail account for the Courier. This may seem like an insignificant detail, but I would really like to make sure people are aware that they are welcome to write letters to the editor and have their comments and concerns voiced in the newspaper. It really is a student-run newspaper, and I would like the student body of Colby-Sawyer to feel that they are being accurately represented and the most newsworthy stories are being covered.
How were you involved with the Courier before you became editor-in-chief?
Before I became the editor-in-chief of the newspaper I was the creative editor. When I first became interested in the newspaper my sophomore year there was a pretty full staff of editors so I talked with Kristin Roy, who would be graduating that year, so I could learn her job in hopes to take over when she left. The next year, the fall of 2005, I started my position as creative editor. I was taking Desktop Publishing at the same time so I was learning the program and elements of design all at the same time. One of the most helpful parts of my learning for the Courier was when the editorial board took a trip to The National Media Conference in Kansas City, Mo. We had the opportunity to meet students from around the country and learn different ways to conduct interviews and run the newspaper.
What made you decide to become an Resident Assistant (RA)? What is your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of being an RA is the opportunity to be a resource for my peers. The reason I initially decided to be an RA was because I felt that it would be a good way to meet new groups of people I might not necessarily get the chance to interact with and work on my interpersonal communication. I have decided to remain in my position as an RA because although it is a job and there are a lot of tough situations, the overall experience of working with people is very rewarding. I think one of the main reasons I wanted to keep being an RA had to do with my feeling that even if I wasn't taking on the 'job' I would still act the same way and maintain the same kind of respectful relationships with my peers as well as Residential Education staff.
The RA position isn't just a job, you can't go into it only for the money, because that's not what it's about, it's about the experience and the way it changes you- and it happens so subtly that you don't notice a difference in yourself until you try picturing your life outside of the RA lifestyle and you realize that's just what it is- your life.
Do you plan on a professional role in Residential Education after you graduate? If not, what kind of job are you looking for?
I'm not sure about my post-graduate plans. I've looked at different schools around Boston that offer programs in residential education where I might be able to also attend graduate school, but I'm still really unsure about what I'd like to do. I would really like to do more traveling so maybe I'll look for some kind of residential education program abroad. I will most likely be looking for some kind of job working in video production. I really enjoy working on the newspaper, mainly doing layout so it would depend on what companies I find interesting around home.
Having traveled abroad, have your perspectives on America (or even Colby-Sawyer) changed at all?
Traveling abroad certainly changed my perspectives about what I value in my own life and what goals are truly important to me. One of my courses I took while abroad focused a great deal on perspective and specifically on expectation- I'm not sure that my perspectives of America or Colby-Sawyer have changed; however, I have come away with a greater understanding of the importance of keeping an open mind and not holding any expectations about anything. You'll never get a chance to experience greatness unless you keep an open mind.
How was your experience in Italy? Do you want to go back, or is there another country you would rather try visiting?
As I said before, I would love to go abroad again. I love Italy, and I definitely found a home in Florence. I've been looking online to find graduate programs abroad as well as jobs abroad. I do enjoy being at home with my family, so I would have to convince some people to go with me, but experiences I've had living abroad are far too incredible to not go back. I would really like to travel to many more places- if I could, I would go everywhere. I'd like to travel the world and see as much as possible without being a tourist. I think travel is important for everyone to experience; it's kind of a spiritual experience to allow yourself to be put so far out of your comfort zone and then to find yourself a new place in the world.
