Meet Baxter Nichols
Please join us in congratulating Baxter Nichols, an OSG member and volunteer who recently graduated from Dean College in Massachusetts with a BA in Arts & Entertainment Management.
Featured Member
Please join us in congratulating Baxter Nichols, an OSG member and volunteer who recently graduated from Dean College in Massachusetts with a BA in Arts & Entertainment Management.
Twenty-three-year-old Baxter is creative, intelligent, and incredibly friendly. He’s into Lego, architecture, and volunteering his event skills with OSG. In high school, Baxter acted and stage-managed and knew that he wanted to do something with theater when entering college. In the end, he found his strengths in the business and management side of things, hence his Arts & Entertainment Management degree. When asked why he chose Dean College, he says, “As soon as I stepped on the campus, it just felt like home. I can’t explain it more than that.”
Baxter has some learning differences, which can make academic environments challenging because they’re not always the most inclusive spaces. But Baxter did it, despite these barriers.
When starting out, he says his first few months were difficult. Like most going through this transition period, he struggled living independently of his parents in a new setting. But Baxter found his way by doing what Our Stomping Ground considers the bread and butter to success: he found and created his own community. Anticipating that he would need support, Baxter joined the ARCH program at Dean College, a community for people with learning disabilities that provides resources, networking events, and educational seminars.
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Baxter's AMGT ClubBeyond finding support, Baxter also leaned into his interests to find friends. In his freshman year, Baxter joined four clubs which he eventually narrowed down to one – the Arts & Entertainment Management (AMGT) Club where he was secretary. The AMGT Club produced all types of events including their recent Final YeeHaw to send grads off, including a mechanical bull and decorated cowboy hats.
Also during his senior year, Baxter found time to volunteer at OSG’s recent silent Art Auction and our Friendsgiving Dinner in November.
Baxter says, “The biggest piece of advice I can give to others looking to go to college is to find a school that offers programs that can help you navigate with your learning differences. That way when you’re accepted you automatically have a support system to guide you. Then when you go, the best thing you can do is get involved. It doesn’t matter in what group, you can try a lot of things. But by joining a lot of clubs you’ll find out what you like and find other people who like the same things. That’s how I made so many friends and why I felt so at home.”
Baxter is currently going through yet another transition – the post graduate job search! He acknowledges this can be an uncomfortable time full of uncertainty, but he remains optimistic. In the meantime, he’s landed a part-time job in Guest Services at a pop-up immersive experience of “The Office.” Baxter’s role will include guiding fans through the experience as Dunder Mifflin comes to life. As fans of The Office, we think it’s a pretty cool gig! You can learn more about the pop-up here.
