Jaime Nicholson (BSW 2020) has been named Alamo Area Student of the Year by the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

A military veteran, Nicholson played a pivotal, on-the-ground role with a pilot program that serves the homeless in District 1.

District 1 City Councilman Robert Trevino offered strong praise of OLLU’s first social work intern in the District 1 Council office.

“Ms. Nicholson’s dedication to serving her community is at the heart of the successful District 1 pilot initiative, the Homeless Outreach Program, adopted into the 2021 City Budget,” Trevino said. “Her work helped define ways to address deficiencies required to access resources. Jaime presented innovative solutions that are now included in city-wide processes.”

Cynthia Medina, Associate Professor of Social Work, taught Nicholson in two social work courses and presented her the award. 

“At Our Lady of the Lake University, while juggling academics, employment, and parenthood, Jaime Nicholson held leadership positions in the Worden Social Work Organization and Student Veterans Association,” Professor Medina said. “Through her leadership and consistently insightful reflections and contributions to difficult, complex, and often controversial discussions, Jaime became a trusted peer and mentor sought out for advice.”

Nicholson, who works in District 1 Social Work Constituent Services, will now be the NASW Alamo Area's nominee for the NASW-TX statewide Student of the Year Award. If she receives that honor, then her nomination will be submitted as Texas' nomination for the NASW and she would be honored at NASW's annual national conference in the fall semester.