MC Spotlight: Nico Casper

Nico Casper was accepted to the University of Louisville and took out student loans to pay for his freshman year of college.

Casper said, “After seeing how much I owed in loans after just that one year; I knew I couldn’t do it for another four or five years. Thankfully, my mom plugged me into the Metro College program, and I was able to graduate debt-free the next four years of school!”

Casper graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in social work. Since graduating, Casper has continued his career growth at UPS and currently works as a Human Resources Recruiting Specialist to provide support and development to employees.

“Becoming a full-time recruiter and helping students realize that they can graduate debt-free as well is a very rewarding part of my job,” said Casper.

Learn more about Nico Casper’s Metropolitan College experience in this Q&A.

What impact did the Metropolitan College program have on your education and career?
While participating in this program you get to really see how good you are at everything! Can you work hard, go without sleep for long periods of time, get good grades, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and still try to have fun on top of all of that? How are your skills? Can you multitask, have good time management, keep a positive attitude when things get rough, take a nap almost anywhere, support your friends, have an open mind, and be able to adjust to changing conditions? This program will test you, but if you're strong and determined enough to succeed then you will come out of the program able to accomplish anything!

What advice do you have for current and prospective Metropolitan College students?
Don't forget to make time for yourself! This program is really all about getting your degree debt free, but college is also about discovering who you really are! Make time for fun stuff! Try something different that you normally never would. Get outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself; you'll realize you are braver than you think. So yes, focus on your work and school and make sure you get a C or better so all of your classes get paid for, but don't forget to have some fun too! After you graduate the real real life stuff begins and it's much more expensive than they advertise it to be. So do not forget to make time for yourself, your hobbies, traveling, journaling, going to games/concerts/events, adventuring, and having good times with great people!

What else would you like to share?
I bought my own house at the age of 25 and I wouldn't have been able to achieve that goal if it wasn't for the foundation that was being built underneath of me while working and going to school at the same time. That solid foundation is the reason I am where I am today!

Photo: Nico Casper, UPS Metropolitan College alum, displays his #WhatsYourNumber sign. The UPS Metropolitan College #WhatsYourNumber social medial campaign represents the dollar amount in benefits received in tuition, books, and academic bonuses in the program.

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We are proud of our current students and alumni and their incredible accomplishments! The MC Spotlight is a way for us to highlight the amazing things our current students and alumni are doing. As you read their stories, you will learn how their Metropolitan College experiences helped to shape their futures and influence their careers.

We are always on the lookout for inspiring MC Spotlight stories. If you or someone you know is interested in sharing a story with us, contact us at askmetro@kctcs.edu.

Note: At Metropolitan College, we consider our alumni anyone who has ever completed coursework and received tuition benefits with us.