Our expert team of recruiters is ready to meet you and help you learn what Nicholls is all about. Take a chance to meet them now and read a bit into their lives. They have all experienced what makes Nicholls State University a great place to learn, live, and lead.
Lee Daigle | Admissions Counselor
Lee Daigle entered Nicholls as a burned-out freshman. After joining and becoming an officer in several high school organizations, Daigle made a pact to not get involved in college life. For once, he wanted to drive straight home after class, bypassing afternoon meetings and community service projects.
What Daigle bypassed was an early opportunity to meet new people, build a resume and participate in social events. During his junior year at Nicholls, he realized what he was losing out on. Daigle joined the Student Government Association and served as its director of public relations. At the start of his senior year, he rushed Sigma Alpha Epsilon, serving as chairman of several committees until he earned his bachelor’s degree in mass communication in 2006.
Daigle quickly made up for lost time. Within the Greek community, he was named the 2005 Sorority Sweetheart, 2006 Greek God and 2006 IFC Man of the Year. Daigle was also honored with the Alfred Delahaye Outstanding Mass Communication Graduate Award and inducted into the Nicholls Hall of Fame.
Today, as an admission counselor, Daigle aims to get students involved before they decide to miss out on the thriving campus life.
“There’s no better way to meet people than to get involved on campus,” Daigle says. “Nicholls has a personal atmosphere all its own. But the campus gets even smaller and more comfortable when you have familiar faces everywhere you turn.”
During recruiting season, Daigle visits high school college fairs and career days. He also coordinates the Nicholls Ambassador program, which places current Nicholls students at campus events to welcome and interact with potential and incoming students.
“I’s always a pleasure to get on the road, meet people, gauge their interest and tell them how Nicholls can help them succeed,” Daigle says.
When not recruiting for Nicholls, Daigle enjoys spending time with friends and traveling.
Ariel Triggs | Coordinator of Minority Recruitment
Ariel Triggs envisioned a stale, close-minded, country campus. However, the diverse and innovative academic programs, organizations, events and people at Nicholls caught her by surprise and after that, it didn’t take this Vacherie native long to find her niche.
During her first semester, Triggs began working on campus as a student worker/production assistant in the Department of E-Learning. She served as a member of the Student Government Association Election Commission and later as the SGA director of public relations. Triggs also joined and became president of the Public Relations Student Society of America, which opened up an opportunity for her to travel to New York City for a national convention.
Going to New York was a hands-on experience that allowed me to see where my degree could take me, Triggs says. I was able to participate in the workshops and meet public relations professionals. It was also great to see all the work that went into our fund-raising for the trip finally pay off.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in mass communication in May 2006, Triggs began working as a communication assistant for the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. In June 2007, she was hired as the coordinator of minority recruitment in the Nicholls Office of Admissions.
“I had a great experience at Nicholls as an undergraduate and see this as a great opportunity to recruit others, in hopes that they may have a similar experience to what I had,” Triggs says.
Triggs’s main goal is to change the inaccurate perception that Nicholls isn’t diverse or modern. The Nicholls Office of Admissions works toward this by offering minority leadership scholarships and hosting an annual Multi Cultural Day. The office also has implemented several programs to meet the needs of the Spanish-speaking community.
During her spare time, Triggs enjoys shopping, hanging out with friends and family and traveling.
David Gravois | Admissions Counselor
David Gravois begins his mornings adjusting the radio dial, either to an alternative or
classic rock station or the Walton & Johnson morning show. He doesn’t mind the drive which is sometimes only a matter of minutes (E.D. White High School, Thibodaux) but other times can take over five hours (Richwood High School, Monroe).
“I’ve always wanted to travel, and working in the Admissions Office provides me with the perfect opportunity to do so for my job,” says Gravois, a Nicholls admissions counselor. “I enjoy seeing different areas of the state while trying to ensure that high school students have a bright future.”
Upon arrival, Gravois meets with students during their high school’s college/career fair or sometimes during their lunch break. He answers questions about admission requirements, campus life and financial aid.
At schools near the Nicholls campus, he tells students not to dismiss the university in their backyard. He didn’t. After graduating from E.D. White, Gravois began his freshman semester at Nicholls, where he became one of the founders of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity campus chapter and an Orientation Team leader. Before earning his bachelor’s degree in mass communication with a concentration in public relations, he served on Homecoming Court, worked in the Office of Student Life and helped plan events with the Student Programming Association.
“I enjoyed attending a small school where I was not overwhelmed and could make a name for myself,” he says.
Because of the addition of Gravois to the admissions staff, Nicholls can reach more schools and introduce students, who may not have traditionally considered Nicholls, to the campus. He expects the university’s new residence halls will be a major factor in convincing students that Nicholls is the right place for them.
“It all pays off when I meet someone who is really interested in Nicholls and then see them walking around campus as a student,” he says.
In his spare time, Gravois enjoys the “usual stuff,” including hanging out with friends, watching TV, playing tennis and running.