Nicole Fess

“Nicole Fess is one of the most curious people that I’ve ever met,” said her nominator. “She has an insatiable desire to learn more about everything: people, ideas, facts, and stories, and the connections between and patterns among them.”

“Nicole reads, watches, and listens to learn about science, anime, literature, education, linguistics, films, fiction, and classics,” her nominator said. “She frequently talks with people she has just met and asks them about the things they're learning and are passionate about – and then goes home to research those topics to learn more about them herself.”

Last year, Nicole began serving as the Office for Learning Partnerships' first-ever Strengths-based Learning Intern. The office uses the CliftonStrengths tool to help our students and staff understand what they naturally do well to help them learn, relate, work, and serve better.

Nicole dove into the Strengths philosophy, how the assessment was developed, and how it compares to and differs from other assessments.

After joining the 2023 Strengths Consultant Cohort, she has helped develop and facilitate Strengths workshops for and with students across campus.

Her nominator pointed out that because Nicole has Learner, Input, and Intellection among her top five Strengths, she enjoys learning, seeking new information, and connecting ideas while filling gaps between them.

As a Strengths Consultant and aspiring secondary classroom teacher, Nicole constantly seeks feedback on how she facilitates workshops. She strives to understand what she did well and how she can improve in the next session.

Nicole has worked the past two summers as a counselor at a Girl Scout camp, navigating the challenges of young campers encountering each other from different cultures and home environments, with their varied experiences, interests, talents, fears, and perspectives.

In successfully working with her campers to find their roles, Nicole has sought to better understand some of their unique qualities and the nuances among them to help each camper safely enjoy and make the most of their camp experience.

Reflecting on how she found her own place at Virginia Tech, Nicole said, “The Thrive LLC was the most supportive and welcoming space I have ever been a part of. The people there encouraged me to try new things and chase my curiosity.”

Nicole said she enjoys sharing with others the ability of retrospection that she has gained from the CliftonStrengths language by conducting workshops to help other students become curious about themselves.

"Each story I read and each person I meet sparks new inquiries and an understanding of how much more there is to know,” said Nicole, “The more unknown there is, the greater the number of possibilities.”

Curiosity, she said, is “the opposite of indifference and apathy. It is having an enthusiasm for the unknown. It’s asking interesting questions that get people to talk about their passions and experiences.”

For her drive to understand others and to use her knowledge to help them understand themselves better, I am pleased to present the Aspire! Award for COMMIT TO UNWAVERING CURIOSITY to Nicole Fess.