Living in the moment

BY DEXTER MCCREE, Feature Writer

ST. PETERSBURG – Nikole Lynch is a very interesting 2017 graduate of Lakewood High School. She made an impact in the community by mentoring younger kids. Through a reading program, she read books to them and helped the little ones identify useful tools they will help them exceed academically.

She also performed community service projects where she was able to gather a collection of books and donate to Kidz World Preschool.

There are several interesting facts about Nikole that others may not know. She enjoys eating a Dorito sandwich. She takes her bag of nacho flavored Doritos and places them between two slices of bread. From there it’s bite and crunch.

One of the items on her bucket list is to visit Italy for the sole purpose of eating authentic Italian food. That’s right! She wants to travel 5,206 miles from St. Pete to Rome one day just to eat.

Nikole has a focused, yet carefree life and operates from her personal belief that “life will go on, so we shouldn’t get stuck worrying about the negatives.” She believes that things happen for a reason and we should just move forward from those situations and grow.

During her time at Lakewood, Nikole was involved in the Advancement Via Individual Determination program, St. Petersburg College’s College Reach Out Program, Women in the Making and a host of other programs all while graduating with a 3.3 weighted grade point average.

Living carefree and in the moment has its advantages, but it can also create concerns. There were times throughout her high school career where she focused on making friends and working on her job rather than on her academics. It was a challenge for her.

“I overcame these challenges by realizing that the friends I was choosing to hang out with weren’t helping to better me or to lead me to the path that I have planned for myself,” said Nikole. “It was time to be by myself so I could stay focused. I also was able to shorten my hours at work so that I could focus more in on my academics.”

With help from her parents, Claire and Nicholas Lynch, she made the necessary adjustments and is now planning to attend to attend St. Petersburg College in the fall. After obtaining an associate of arts degree, she then plans to transfer to a four-year university for a bachelor’s degree.

In 10 years, she hopes to have purchased a home and moving up the corporate ladder at Publix Super Markets.

Nikole’s life is filled with giving back, mentoring youth and the challenge of working to climb the corporate ladder. She won’t allow anyone to dull her sunshine or forfeit new opportunities.