From Overcoming Addiction to Achieving Academic Success

By Anne Denogean, External Relations

Growing up in Cleveland, Tennessee, Nick Davis was a good student and talented high school basketball player with the potential to play Division I ball. However, his promising future was overshadowed by a struggle with substance abuse, leading to legal troubles and a path of uncertainty.

“The things I was involved in were dimming my light and wouldn't let me shine,” said Nick, who would forge a bright, new path through a Tucson rehab center and Pima Community College.

Nick, an Honors student, graduated with an Associate Degree in Business this summer and has been accepted to the University of Arizona’s prestigious Eller College of Management and W.A. Franke Honors College. Earlier this year, he was named to the 2024 Phi Theta Kappa All-Arizona Academic Team, which carries with it a scholarship covering 60 credits (two years) at one of Arizona’s state universities.

“I've always worked hard and I’ve always had the intelligence and potential. I just didn't take advantage of it," Nick said.

Nick said his involvement with drugs began in high school, which led to problems with the juvenile justice system and the derailment of his basketball aspirations. Despite these challenges, his inherent intelligence and strong work ethic kept him afloat. He graduated from high school in 2015 and successfully worked in construction with his father. He attended community college for a year but dropped out.

In 2020, Nick experienced a life-threatening overdose that became his catalyst for change. Determined to turn his life around, he moved to Tucson to join a year-long rehab program. This decision marked the beginning of his remarkable transformation. Nick’s mentor in the program, Travis Reyna, having turned his life around through rehab, had attended Pima afterwards and transferred to UA to study engineering. Knowing that Nick was interested in going back to school, he encouraged Nick to enroll at Pima after completing rehab.

Nick took the first steps cautiously - signing up for two classes in fall 2022.

“I wasn't sure how I was going to do because I'd been out of school for so long," Nick admitted “But the first semester, I got two As, and it built my confidence. The next semester, I took 18 credit hours and got all As and two Bs."

Having quickly found his footing, he was able to work full time and take a full course load by taking his first 30 units through online courses. He continued earning excellent grades, was elected treasurer of Pima’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, landed a variety of scholarships and was a semi-finalist for the national Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship.

Along the way, Nick benefited from the support of Pima staff and faculty. He periodically met with Jessica Davis, director of online student success, who helped him persevere through a particularly challenging college algebra class. Additionally, Kyley Segers, head of the Pima Honors Program, played a significant role in Nick's success by encouraging him to apply for prestigious scholarships and guiding him through the application process.

“Kyley Segers is the one who took me to the next level,” Nick said. "She encouraged me to do the All-Arizona Academic competition and apply for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship, meeting with me multiple times to help with essays.”

Nick now runs the admissions department for the drug rehabilitation center where he found help. His passion for helping others extends to his volunteer work as a youth mentor, where he teaches financial literacy, life skills and therapeutic coping mechanisms to young people in Tucson.

His career goals lie in the areas of accounting and finance, through which he also believes he can help others. His ultimate career goal is to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or a financial advisor and help others to enhance their financial well-being.

“You can increase the quality of people’s lives,” Nick explained about his career aspirations. “Finances aren't the end-all-be-all of life, but if you can help someone improve their financial situation, they can spend more time with their family, improve their health and chase their passions.”