We recently reconnected with Nicholas, who first received support services from Easterseals UCP (ESUCP) when he was three years old. Today and 20 years later, Nicholas is a fresh college graduate and looking forward to his next big adventure.
As a child, Nicholas faced unique challenges, having been diagnosed with rhombencephalosynapsis, a rare nerve condition that affects his speech, walking, balance and physical coordination. At age 3, Nicholas attended ESUCP’s child development center in Charlotte, NC where he received occupational, physical and speech therapy. His parents were very appreciative of Nicholas’ progress. Even after he graduated from our program at age 5, his family maintained a strong connection to ESUCP’s purpose and stayed actively engaged in fundraising. His dad’s company was a major sponsor of “Stroll in the Park” until the walk-a-thon ended shortly after Nicholas graduated high school.
His passion for video design and editing began in middle school when his teacher introduced him to Microsoft PowerPoint and Nicholas discovered the “magic of animations.” While his classmates were playing online games on the computer, Nicholas experimented with the various effects and animations on PowerPoint. From that moment on, Nicholas’ creativity was ignited and he continued to learn various editing programs and apps on his own. “I had a goal and knew it was important to never give up. I did something every day to get me one step closer to my goal,” says Nicholas. In college, his goal-oriented mindset continued and led him to also develop an expertise in Adobe Premiere Pro.
When Nicholas isn’t editing videos, you can find him practicing piano and magic tricks that he enjoys performing for family and friends. He also enjoys fencing that was inspired by backyard Star Wars lightsaber duals with his dad. He stopped fencing in 2020 when COVID closed his fencing studio.
Nicholas recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a Bachelor of Arts degree concentrating in New Media and Design. Coupled with years of practical experience, Nicholas is looking for a job or freelance work in video editing. To learn more about Nicholas’ work, check out his online portfolio at https://njdproductions.myportfolio.com.
It was great catching up with Nicholas after 20 years. We are so proud of his accomplishments and celebrate his amazing journey. To learn more about ESUCP’s life changing programs, go to www.eastersealsucp.com/services.
ABOUT EASTERSEALS UCP
Easterseals UCP and PORT Health are trustworthy, compassionate partners providing exceptional disability, behavioral health and addiction treatment services to help our neighbors live their best lives. Purpose, dedication and empathy drive our in-person and telehealth service delivery. Our diverse and inclusive 2,600 member team provides more than 10.2 million hours of meaningful support to 40,200 kids, adults and families in 11,000 home, facility and community locations across North Carolina and Virginia. Learn more at eastersealsucp.com.
