Nicci Ainuu

Nicci hesitantly began her academic journey in community college with very little faith in her ability to be successful in higher education. Twelve years later, she has earned a BA in Linguistics with a minor in Counseling from San Francisco State University, is currently working on an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northern Arizona University, and plans to pursue a doctorate. She has also worked and volunteered in multiple roles in student affairs for ten years, so it’s safe to say that higher education has worked out well for her!

She credits much of her success to the on-campus work and extra-curricular activities she was engaged in and to the mentors who challenged her to see herself differently and dream bigger. Her experiences have inspired her passion for helping college students develop academically, professionally, and personally. She currently works as the Administrative Services Manager at THINK TANK, where she manages a team of student and professional staff who welcome students and help them connect to academic support services and resources. Nicci values the variety in her work and how she can improve the student experience at THINK TANK from the details of streamlining administrative procedures to the expansive work of creating meaningful professional development opportunities for Desk Assistants.

When she is not working or studying, Nicci enjoys binge watching TV shows that were popular two or more years ago, reading about personality types and introverts, making Instastories about waiting for laundry to dry, and trying to resolve her chronic existential dread.