Nicole A Kaouris

What is your motivation to succeed?

I always want to be better than I was yesterday. I’m all about improvement and challenging myself. When I look back at who I was in high school, especially when it came to academics, I wasn’t proud of anything. It seemed like everyone I knew had a talent or a goal to strive for. I never thought I could be successful in theatre because I never had the training for it. But I don’t think it’s too late to follow your dreams. My motivation is to prove them wrong, whoever “they” may be. It could even be myself.

 Tell us something most people don’t know about you.

When I was younger I wanted to be a Veterinarian. I absolutely love animals; I was also the “weird horse girl” in elementary school. What stopped me from pursuing that field was learning about euthanasia. I just didn’t want to do it after that.

 What are your long term goals?

I have big dreams. Since I was nine, I’ve been practicing my Academy Award acceptance speech in the mirror (sometimes I still do). The first thing I do when I make enough money, is to start a program that funds arts in education. I’m really passionate when it comes to including art, music, and theatre classes in schools. It allows kids to break out of their comfort zone and build their confidence. I know theatre helped me to do that when I was younger, because I was shy and I never like standing in front of people. I would like to go to grad school too. And travel. I want to do everything!

 What does EOP/MAP mean to you?

EOP/MAP means a few different things to me. The first would be motivation; everyone has your back and they’re always pushing you to succeed. When my grades slipped freshman year, they sent me a letter saying that they were there for me and I tacked it up in my room. I felt like I let MAP down, because they believed in me, and I just didn’t meet their expectations. I knew they reached out because they cared about me, and that made me feel good. I made Dean’s List in the fall of 2016 and tacked that letter up next to the first one. EOP/MAP also means family. I love watching everyone connect with each other and sharing their experiences, but I also love that I can fit in somewhere. It’s such a small community, but it’s so big to me.

 What’s your most invaluable experience at Purchase?

There’s so many…I would have to say making Dean’s List last fall. It was a proud moment for me, because I didn’t think it was possible. Another would have to be falling in love with writing again. After I took my first playwriting class, it came so naturally to me. I thought to myself “this is what I’m meant to do”.