Lack of submissions led the student activities coordinator to make the selection.
By Victoria Lee Zamora
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Nicole France, senior coordinator of outreach and recruitment, was named Adviser of the Year at the Outstanding Student Leader awards banquet April 11.
She is the lead adviser for the Student Government Association and adviser for this college’s coed cheerleading squad.
France has worked at this college since November 2015. She served in the Army for 10 years and graduated from Walden University with a master’s degree.
“There have been staff and faculty members that have worked at this college for 10 years, or more, so I am very humbled and honored,” France said in an interview April 19.
All organizations at this college had the opportunity to submit a summary about their adviser they believed deserved the recognition.
No summaries were submitted for advisers, Carrie Hernandez, coordinator of campus activities, said April 30 in a phone interview.
Hernandez and Mark Bigelow, interim director of student life, selected France to be Adviser of the Year mainly because she advises two organizations.
“Nicole is an amazing adviser,” Hernandez said. “The fact that she makes time for the two organizations she’s a part of is one of the main reasons we chose her.”
Hernandez said students in organizations must have been too busy to nominate their club adviser.
“This year I guess students had their plates full. Maybe they didn’t have enough time to add this to their list,” she said.
The only submissions turned in were for this college’s boxing coach, Hector Ramos.
“Although Mr. Ramos is a wonderful coach, he is not considered an adviser,” she said. “We did honor him, but the award could not be given to him.”
Flyers were posted around campus in early February to let students know of the opportunity.
“We gave students two months to write a simple one-page summary on why they felt their adviser should win,” she said. “I understand students have lives outside of school, but SAC has the brightest advisers. Someone deserved to be awarded.”
Despite not having any submissions turned in, students had positive things to say about France.
SGA President Kayla Salwey, business management sophomore, said in an interview April 30, “I am a part of several clubs here at SAC. No one bends over backwards more for their students like Nicole does. I can call her at 6 a.m. or 9 p.m., and she’ll answer no matter what the situation. She truly deserved to win.”
Men’s basketball coach Sam Casey said France gave the cheerleading squad the motherly touch it needed.
The squad was started in August by speech communication sophomore Nicholas Delaunay, Casey said in an interview April 17. Delaunay was unavailable for an interview.
France said Delaunay approached her in August to advise the group.
She said she encourages students to be their best.
“I am my students’ cheerleader no matter if they’re one of my SGA students or my cheerleaders,” she said.
