Nick Weggen’s ePortfolio
About Me: I am a Senior Airman serving in the United States Air Force, I am from Richmond, VA, and I attend Old Dominion University majoring in Leadership. I am an avid disc golf player and tabletop gamer.
Key Skills:
- Leadership
- Analysis
- Research
- Emotional Intelligence
- Communication
Education:
- Bachelor of Science, Interdisciplinary Studies: Leadership, Old Dominion University, Expected Graduation: 2024
Work Experience:
- Bartender/Waiter, Texas Roadhouse, 2017-2019
- Senior Airman, United States Air Force, 2019-present
Nick’s Big Five Personality Test
Openness to experience: 75 out of 100
Agreeableness: 75 out of 100
Conscientiousness: 29 out of 100
Negative emotionality: 42 out of 100
Extraversion: 71 out of 100
Nick is a highly extroverted and agreeable individual, known for his outgoing nature and ability to build strong connections with others. With a conscientiousness score on the lower end of the spectrum, he thrives in environments that value flexibility and creativity. Nick’s moderate level of negative emotionality reflects his balanced approach to challenges, enabling him to navigate obstacles with resilience and composure. His high openness to experience drives his curiosity and adaptability, making him a natural fit for roles that require innovation and exploration. With a passion for collaborative work and a dedication to personal growth, Nick brings a dynamic energy and a fresh perspective to any team or project.
Personal Narrative
Initial College Stint
When I graduated high school, I honestly did not know what I wanted to study. I was good at math and science, and I was not very interested in English and history, so the logical conclusion was to follow in my father’s footsteps and study mechanical engineering. Knowing my major is one thing, but I still had got over the very large hurdle that was being accepted into college. I did plenty of extra-curricular activities, but my grades were not where they needed to be. I remember the day that I received a letter from my preferred university that said that they would not be accepting me. In a mix of disappointment and panic, I scrambled confusedly to finish another application to a different school that would hopefully give me better results. Yes, I had only finished the application to one school at the time, not a point of pride, but a fact none the less. I completed my application to Old Dominion University and waited patiently in hopes of an acceptance letter.
Growing up in a military family with both parents serving in the United States Navy instilled in me a strong sense of duty and a desire to pursue a career in the military from a young age. Early in my senior year of high school, I applied for the national Navy ROTC scholarship, and beyond my wildest expectations, I won the scholarship. There was a very odd period of time where I had won an honorable and prestigious scholarship while also not being accepted into any college at time. Eventually I received the response from Old Dominion University that I was awaiting with increasing anxiety. I did not know much about the school other than the fact that it had a Navy ROTC program, it was about two hours from my house, and they gave me admittance, which meant it would be my new home for the foreseeable future. Thus, began what would be a very turbulent course of study.
Initially, the courses were interesting, and I was had firm grasp of what I was learning. Through the first semester of college, I achieved straight A’s for the first time since second grade. General education and broad engineering classes were easy and covered many things I had learned in high school; thus, succeeded with ease and I did not form good study habits, which eventually resulted in academic troubles. Some of the highlights of these troubles include taking Calculus III and differential equations three times and having to take several summer classes to retake courses I had previously gotten unsatisfactory grades in. Eventually, with the stress of the classes, compounded upon the stress of becoming a Naval Officer upon graduation, I decided that dropping out was my only course of action. I struggled significantly with this decision, as it derailed my entire life plan, including not becoming an officer in the Navy, but overall, it was necessary in order to maintain my mental health.
Military Service
Due to not completing my degree, which was being paid for by the United States Navy, I was given the choice to pay the money back in full, which would be about $50,000, or join the armed services. After bouncing around, working as a waiter while I talked to recruiters, I finally decided upon joining the United States Air Force.
I was whisked away to basic training, after which came tech school, training for my job in the Air Force as a linguist; that means that tech school was going to be nothing but language learning, 16 months of language learning to be specific. Mastering a new language within a span of 16 months presented a formidable challenge. It was a grueling time that forced me to hunker down and learn new study habits. I found unprecedented levels of academic success for myself, and I eventually graduated from the course with a 4.0 GPA.
As I settled into my first duty station, I decided that it was time to push forth in my academic pursuits and go back to college. As my academic journey began at Old Dominion University, I decided that that is where I would finish my degree. At that point, it had been five years since I studied any mechanical engineering, and to re-enter into this major was daunting to say the least. I explored other degree plan options and discovered that between the courses I took as an Airmen in the United States Air Force, combined with courses I took while enrolled in the Navy ROTC, I was surprisingly close to completing a degree in leadership. After a time of self-reflection, I decided that this was a course of study that I took great interest in that would also be an incredible asset for my career in the Air Force.
Majoring in Leadership
I had never been more excited or nervous about taking classes than returning to school at the age of 27, after a five year absence from college The Air Force offered tuition assistance, contingent upon maintaining a C or better in courses. While this standard may seem modest, given my dismay at my 2.6 GPA, it represented a significant challenge. I only took one class during the first semester, so as not to overwhelm myself. My entire curriculum was to be online, which may be daunting to some people, but I was at my tech school during COVID, which meant that I had to learn my language in a mostly virtual environment. Getting back into the swing of college classes took some adjustment, but as my wife was also attending class at the same time, we supported each other, guiding us to academic success. I found that success in the form of an A in the first course that I took.
I soon realized that not every class was going to be easy. Leadership was somewhat intuitive, and it was easy to understand how to apply it in my current job. Some of the other coursed made me realize that I was well out of my depth, like when I began my course on business law. This was all uncharted territory to me, but I did not let that deter me. I learned about concepts that I only realized were relevant after I took a different course that focused on interdisciplinary studies. Engaging with courses like law and environmental studies provided me with foundational knowledge, particularly in research methodologies, enabling me to approach problems from diverse perspectives and develop a more nuanced understanding.
Today, I have taken many courses on subjects I never thought I would be learning about, much less take a genuine interest in, but my course of study has opened up many doors and many opportunities to broaden my horizons. It never ceases to amaze me how often I learn something from a class assignment that directly relates to my work. I have learned about how to interact with people, form a team, and build a culture within our organization. While I do not believe that a diploma can tell me whether I am a leader or not, I know that throughout my course study, I have actively applied the principles and concepts I’ve learned to my role in the Air Force, effectively leading teams, resolving conflicts, and driving positive change within our organization. Through hands-on experiences and theoretical knowledge gained from my coursework, I have become increasingly confident in my abilities to lead and inspire others, proving the value of the course work of my major, if not the value of the diploma.