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Portrait of Nickolas Schmidt

Honor Society® member

Nickolas Schmidt

Naturalist and Education Outreach Intern at Alabama Nature Center (Millbrook, AL) which is run by the Alabama Wildlife Federation

  • biosystems engineering
  • Class of 2028
  • Prattville, Alabama

Member since February 2024

About

I am a homeschool student from Prattville Alabama with 46 dual-enrollment credit hours and a 4.0 GPA as of Fall 2023. I will be starting my Bachelor's in Biological and Agricultural Technology Management at Auburn University in Fall 2024. I will start my degree with two semesters worth of completed classes. I am an avid naturalist as shown in my Alabama Youth Conservationist of 2022 award. In addition, I am the president of my own robotics club which is currently competing in the MATE underwater robotics competition. It is my dream to combine my interests in conservation and engineering to create specialty tools and robots for land and wildlife management.

Education

  • New Hope Acadamy

    high school diploma

    2019 – 2024

Honors and awards

  • Governor’s Conservation Achievement Award

    I received the 2022 Youth Conservationist of the Year Award from the governor for my work with AWF and in Scouting.

  • Eagle Scout

    In November 2020 I reached the highest rank in Boy Scouts.

  • dean's list

    Auburn Engineering Dean's List Fall 2023. I was recognized for my academic excellence in the fall 2023 semester despite being a dual enrollment student at the time.

  • president's list

    Central Alabama Community College President's List Fall 2022. I was recognized for my academic excellence in the 2022 semesters despite being a dual enrollment student at the time.

Goals and interests

Career goal

After graduating from Auburn, my dream is to create a company that makes specialty robots, machinery, and tools for land and wildlife management. I am experienced enough to know that making such a dream come true takes time and personal sacrifices, both of which I am more than willing to pay to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of worldwide conservation efforts. To support myself financially while developing my inventions, I plan on finding a job with the state that allows me to apply my education from Auburn to help with rolling out new technologies and strategies for conservation.

Graduate school interests

My goal is to complete a Bachelor's in Biological and Agricultural Technology Management within three years by applying twenty-five of my dual enrollment credit hours. In addition, I currently plan on getting a Master's in Biosystems Engineering, a Bachelor's in Software Engineering, and a Minor in Natural Resource Ecology. As my records show, I have maintained all A's through my classes, including six Auburn First courses. It is safe to say that I will continue my commitment to academic excellence throughout the coming years at Auburn. I am determined to be an active member of Auburn's robotics club, Alabama Wildlife Society chapter, and other conservation-related organizations. Over summer breaks, I will take on internships or jobs to get further hands-on experience with the issues our conservation agencies face. During school semesters, I plan to continue my volunteer work in addition to local or remote conservation-related jobs.

Experience

  • Naturalist and Education Outreach Intern

    Alabama Nature Center (Millbrook, AL) which is run by the Alabama Wildlife Federation

    Jun 2023 – Apr 2024

Volunteering

  • Naturalist and Outreach volunteer

    Alabama Wildlife Federation

    Mar 2021 – May 2023

  • boy scout, cub scout, lodge member, and explorer post member

    Boy Scouts

    Sep 2012 – May 2024

Additional information