March is Women’s History Month, and to celebrate, we are showing our appreciation for Nicole Lekus, a longtime PeerForward volunteer! Nicole is a Global HR Manager at BARE International, a market research customer experience firm, who regularly serves as a Writing Coach at our summer Workshops. Having volunteered at her first Workshop in 2009, 2026 will mark her 17th year as a valued member of our PeerForward family. We caught up with her to ask about what keeps her coming back year after year:
Tell us about your own postsecondary education journey.
I went to University of Maryland, College Park way back when. I started as an astrophysics major and moved to psychology and criminology. Career wise, I went into finance first, realized that math was not my forte, and moved on to HR.
What drives you to serve first-generation, low-income students?
My college degree was not easy to come by. I had some personal difficulties during my college years. Having that degree is still one of the proudest moments of my personal life, because I worked for that degree. I had to put myself out there. I had to overcome a lot of obstacles and challenges. I recognize it might not be the same obstacles and challenges that these Peer Leaders have been through in their high school or middle school or early lives, but I can sort of relate to a degree and say, you know what? This is how you overcome a challenge. And working through that and feeling so good about yourself when you do. It’s just something I think every person should be able to experience.
Please describe the impact of the PeerForward/College Summit volunteering experience.
I have made incredible friends over the past 16 years of volunteering with PeerForward. I have also learned about my own resilience, pushed myself beyond my own comfort zone, and been inspired by the grit, tenacity, kindness, perseverance, dedication, care, compassion, and drive exhibited by the Peer Leaders, staff, and fellow volunteers. I have cried, laughed, and dreamed with my Writing Teams…and have been privileged to see some grow as leaders within the PeerForward family!
In your opinion, why should low-income students pursue postsecondary education?
I work in HR; I am professionally, profoundly aware of how critical a college degree can be to pursuing a career. It opens doors and widens your horizons – both the personal journey of earning a degree and the technical knowledge gained during the process.
