Nick Olier

by | Sep 28, 2021 | Foundation Board Spotlights

Crystal Springs native Nick Olier (1998) realized he wasn’t ready to go to a university after graduating from high school so his first stop was Hinds Community College. At Hinds, he played on the golf team and sharpened his study habits before transferring to Mississippi State University, where he completed his business administration degree with an emphasis in insurance, risk management, and financial planning with an overall GPA of 3.25. Now, he’s an agent for Southern Insurance Group.

“It just made more sense for me to come to Hinds and become a much better student before I went on with my college career. I had a great relationship with my instructors and developed the study habits that I needed through Hinds. Hinds gave me the tools I needed to excel at the university level,” he said.

His most memorable experience of his college career was being able to play on the golf team. “There was not much of a chance that I would play Division I golf. I never would have had the opportunity,” he said. “I still keep in touch with some of those guys I played golf with. It was a great experience for me.”

His own Hinds experience makes it easy for him to relate to many of the students helped by the Hinds Community College Foundation. Olier is serving his third term as a member of the Foundation Board of Directors.

In his work with Southern Insurance, Olier works closely with the college. One day he mentioned to President Emeritus Dr. Clyde Muse that he would like to do more to help the college. “I asked was there anything else I could do. After that I was asked to be on the Foundation board, which is just an honor. I’m happy to be able to do it,” he said.

He recalls the story of one young man from Jackson who was in the college’s electrical program. “He came out of Hinds with a career. That is life-changing, life-altering,” Olier said. “When we hear those stories, I can relate to them to a certain extent because Hinds was so good to me and so good for me.”