Empathetic, creative, skateboarder, video-gamer and writer Nick Coser is a Senior at Olivet Nazarene University who is working towards his dream job of writing for The Onion – yes, The Onion. Inspired by the satirical, humorous articles of the famous newspaper headquartered in Chicago, he decided to study Multimedia Communications and writing with the ultimate goal of becoming a contributor to the headlines he grew up reading.
The aspiring young writer ended up at Olivet after his sophomore year due to family ties and a good impression from communications department Dr. Jay Martinson. Besides writing for The Onion, he expresses interest in reviewing and play-testing video games as well as other forms of entertainment. He is most passionate about creating or helping create content and enjoys writing about the issues of the world and hopes that a future career would feature any of those aspects.
The aspiring young writer ended up at Olivet after his sophomore year due to family ties and a good impression from communication department Dr. Jay Martinson. Besides writing for The Onion, he expresses interest in reviewing and play-testing video games as well as other forms of entertainment. He is most passionate about creating or helping create content and enjoys writing about the issues of the world and hopes that a future career would feature any of those aspects.
While he has been working towards these goals and maneuvering through the labyrinth of life, he’s picked up some important and insightful lessons that are worth sharing in hopes they would impact another.
Nick smiles as he jumps off of his board 
Nick skateboarding on Olivet’s inner campus decorated by the colors of fall leaves 
Holding the remote control, Nick adjusts the speed on his electric skateboard as he rides past the Weber Center
Be honest, no matter what.
Coser learned this from his dad. As someone who desires to be a writer or journalist, honesty is a central aspect of the role.
Prepare and practice; never assume you can rely solely on natural abilities to wing something.
Although he expresses natural abilities for speaking and writing, he learned quickly that discipline is a vital quality to exercise in order to achieve success after he blanked on his senior speech after the introduction. Thankfully, Dr. Martinson extended grace and allowed for a second attempt, but extra time spent rehearsing would have saved him a load of embarrassment.
Not everything is us vs them; reserve judgment. As a Christian, strive to be known for loving your neighbor.
Unfortunately, he has too often seen Christians that look down upon those who are different instead of reflecting Christ by lovingly welcoming and accepting even society’s outcasts. The only true way to show the love of Christ is to invite instead of isolate.
Branch out and don’t just stick to your four friends. Olivet has many different perspectives in it’s student body, so it is beneficial to talk to them. The worst that can happen is that you never talk to certain people again.
During his time at Olivet, he encountered many different valuable viewpoints from different student’s unique life experiences. He learned that we all have something to teach others and something to learn from others. It is a big opportunity to take advantage of; each person contains a special wellspring of knowledge.
Communicate with people about your struggles, it is okay. Don’t just suffer through life’s issues, rely on the community around you. Even on the hard days, trust and know that there are better days ahead!
Like many young teenagers, Coser experienced anxiety and looking back at those difficult times, he would have advised himself to connect with other people instead of trying to muster through it alone. Sharing and connecting with other people reveals that on the inside, none of us are really strangers, and can relate and uplift in unique ways. Again, people are an important and readily available resource that is important to tap into.
Coser envisions that these learned life lessons will result in his employment as a copyeditor, publisher, writer, or social media consultant in the next 5 years. Specifically, he would love to write or edit for the companies IGN or Metacritic and be completely independent soon out of college. Each person is a unique wellspring of knowledge, and we got to peer into a small portion of the life story of Nick Coser. Other’s stories impacted him and each contributed to his character now, and Coser’s wisdom will have the same impact on others.
