Nikki Ledbury
Age: 21
Major: Environmental Studies and Africana Studies
Minor: Nonprofit Leadership
Hometown: St. Johns, Michigan
Relationship Status: Single (and lacking a witty follow-up)
HC: What are you involved in?
Ledbury: Chairperson of Drive Safe Kalamazoo, DSK’s Senator to the Western Student Association, WSA Speaker pro-tem
HC: What do you most enjoy about being you?
Ledbury: Going on wacky adventures, both cross-country and inner-city adventures, my bike Penelope, my blog with Alyssa Schafer, being sustainable, and not going to the Strutt. I also enjoy getting proposed to, which happened today. I look like marriage material.
HC: Proposed to?
Ledbury: I’ve been proposed to three times as a driver for DSK, that’s a fun fact.
HC: What annoys you most?
Ledbury: People singing happy birthday, both to me and around me. Something about it is really awkward … it makes me leave the room. Birthdays are my favorite holiday, but I hate the song.
HC: Birthdays aren’t really holidays.
Ledbury: They are to me. Nikki Ledbury Day, and it’s a week long. And my birthday is Cinco de Mayo.
HC: You’ve been in charge of DSK for a few months:
Ledbury: Eight.
HC: Eight months? Wow, what’s the best part of it?
Ledbury: DSK’s amazing, we love DSK. I have pet names for all my e-board. Members, and I love my e-board. But [you have to] be yourself with them, ‘cause they’ll call you out on it [if you’re not].
HC: You recently got promoted to Speaker pro-tem in WSA, what do you think of that job?
Ledbury: It’s teaching me a lot of organizational skills, but it really is a different feel.
Ask me about my dreams and aspirations!
HC: What are your dreams and aspirations?
Ledbury: I want to be the executive director of Americorps, and the National Civilian Community Corps. I’ve done Americorps, and I’m a wildland firefighter. And I’ve been to 44 states. No big deal or anything, but I only have six left, and I’m gonna reach that goal soon.
HC: What about right after graduation?
Ledbury: Christina Clarke has been a friend of mine since sixth grade and after graduation we plan to hike the Applichian Trail or maybe the continental divide. I’ve done research on both, but am worried about the black bear situation.
HC: On which trail?
Ledbury: Really anywhere there are black bears.
HC: My notes say you were quarantined by the U.S. government?
Ledbury: When I was in Americorps I got swine flu. The NCCC is part of the government, so I like to say I was quarantined by the government. It wasn’t like that movie Contagion, I broke out to get some puzzles and pizza, and I just did puzzles.
HC: Could you function on less than a cup of coffee a day?
Ledbury: No, definitely not.
Editor: Helena Witzke