Nathanial moved to Portland in 2013, after completing his M.S. in College Student Development, to pursue a career in Higher Education, with one wrinkle – he didn’t have a job and barely had any contacts. After months of applying to jobs, Nathanial landed a spot in The School of Business – and has been here since.
Currently, Nathanial’s work comprises of managing the Undergraduate Business Programs Front Office and The School of Business Tutoring Center, coordinating The School of Business Peer Mentor Program, ensuring that student financial hardship, textbook and laptop needs are met via the Student Success Support Request, providing any support necessary to business student organizations and building community through social event planning (in The Before Times, this was large events – now it’s a lot of time in video calls). Nathanial also tracks data and provides coordination of/support for outreach to ensure first-year students in The School of Business feel welcome.
Nathanial grew up in Northern California – orphaned as a teenager, Nathanial was a First-Generation College Student, and participated in the McNair Scholars Program as an undergrad (his research was on gender roles in Star Trek). The guidance, coaching and mentorship Nathanial received as an undergraduate student pushed him along to pursue a graduate degree out of state.
Prior to working at PSU, Nathanial worked at the University of Central Oklahoma in Campus Activities and held internships at Colgate University (in Student Life, University of Central Oklahoma (in Residence Life) and with the National Association for Campus Activities (as Conference Volunteer Coordinator). He also did a range of freelance writing and reviewing.
Nathanial believes strongly that having a good community is one of the biggest keys to success – all of the work he does is driven by ensuring that students pursuing a degree in the School of Business feel like they are welcome and included members of the community with access to all the resources they need to be successful.
In his freetime, Nathanial can be found one of a myriad of activities from reading, gaming (tabletop or video), cooking, running with his dog or watching movies with his wife.