Lafayette Spotlight: Nina Cole
Our staff and faculty spend their days learning about as many of their students as possible, but how much do we know about them?
Nina and her one-on-one buddy, Amir sitting down for a snack break.
Meet Nina Cole! She works in room 400 (F5) where she, along with a few others, assist and take care of some of the special ed students we have at this school. She came here from Germany and, technically, hasn’t been to a high school before, making her a first year in an actual high school. Currently, her and other special ed teachers are trying to raise money to transform the old daycare playground into a play area for the special ed kids to hang out and enjoy. For the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with her and the kids that she looks after while also being able to ask questions and learn more about herself and her career.
Q. What is your job here at LHS?
A. I am a SPED TA and am working with the kids with the highest medical need in the county! We are making sure, that the students thrive academically and in their ADLs (activities of daily life).
Q. How many years have you been working here?
A. I started working here shortly before Thanksgiving.
Q. Did you go to college? If so, which college and what degree did you get?
A. I went to university in Germany for chemical biological engineering and then switched to a degree in physical therapy. Currently I am Going back to school for my bachelor’s degree in German.
Q. Why did you choose to work at LHS?
A. LHS is just a Great school with great staff and leaders.
Q. What is one thing you love about your job?
A. I love the team we in our room; we work very close with our peers and students preparing and supporting each other in our tasks.
Q. If you didn’t have the job that you do now, what career would you have?
A. Physical therapy was a great job to work in and it flows perfectly into my current career.
Q. What advice do you for the youth?
A. My advice is to find out who you are and what you really want, whether that is college, trade school, working for a bit or traveling the world. I tried many different paths and feel like I found the one I really have passion for.
Q. What’s been your biggest obstacle in life?
A. My biggest obstacle was to move to a different continent following my husband from Germany to the US.
Q. If you could be born in any other time period, which period and why?
A. I was born in 1981 so I got the rear end of the 70’s, got the 80’s AND 90’s plus the glorious 2000’s. Perfect timing to be a genx and a millennial at the same time.
