Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2026 graduates.
The road to graduation for Evan Nicolay, a fourth-year digital marketing student at Arizona State University, has taken a few unexpected turns throughout his college career. Over the last four years, he has attended three different universities. Then, out of luck, he ended up at ASU. Nicolay says he found that ASU was where he could grow the most.
Nicolay was raised in Livermore, California. From the beginning, he has always had a passion for creating videos, which later played into his interest in marketing.
“I developed a lot of video experience in high school,” Nicolay said. “I thought about going into film, but I didn’t think film school would give me the opportunities I was looking for. I felt that freelancing while studying marketing was a better fit.”
St. Mary’s College is where Nicolay began his academic journey. Though after just one semester, he realized it was not a good fit.
“It was a really small school,” he said. “It almost felt like high school all over again. I tried to make friends and get involved, but it just didn’t feel like a place where I could grow.”
The next semester, Nicolay transferred to Sonoma State University in search of a better fit. He found the community he had been searching for at St. Mary’s, but he soon realized that Sonoma State did not offer the opportunities he yearned for to achieve his goals.
“Sonoma had amazing people and a great environment,” Nicolay said. “But I didn’t feel like there were enough opportunities there for what I wanted to do.”
As Nicolay began exploring other schools, he came across ASU. With a few friends already there, Nicolay felt comfortable making the move to a large university. It was the unfamiliar environment he had been in search of.
Since his transfer to ASU, Nicolay has been able to dive deeper into the creative opportunities he has been seeking, and now works for the Sun Devil Fitness Complex as a videographer. He creates video content and works with the Educational Outreach and Student Services marketing team to record events and activities.
“It’s been one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had,” Nicolay said. “I’ve been able to explore my creativity and learn from people with different skill sets. Working with the team has really helped me improve my technical videography skills.”
One of the biggest challenges Nicolay has faced during his college career was adjusting to the scale of ASU.
“I’ve been overwhelmed every day since I came here,” he said. “But it’s been a good kind of overwhelming. There’s just so much happening and so many opportunities to get involved.”
That experience has helped Nicolay develop stronger time management skills as he balances classes, work opportunities and friendships.
“At a place this big, you have to learn how to balance everything,” he said. “You say ‘yes’ to whatever opportunities present themselves, but you also have to learn how to manage your time and focus on what matters most.”
One course Nicolay considers outstanding among others is his current business capstone class. His professor is an entrepreneur who has founded many businesses, all of which have gone public.
“He’s very honest about his experiences,” Nicolay said. “He doesn’t glorify anything. He just explains what it’s actually like to build companies and work in business. It’s made me feel much more prepared for life after graduation.”
Nicolay plans to return to California after he graduates and continue to grow his freelance work while also further developing a community initiative started by his parents.
“My goal is to expand it across the entire Bay Area,” Nicolay said. “It’s really a content-first project. We do some in-person organizing, but I see the biggest impact coming from creating content that highlights what people love about their hometown.”
If there was anything that Nicolay learned throughout his nontraditional college journey, it was the valuable lesson of personal growth.
“Don’t be afraid to change your path,” he said. “Just make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons.”
Transferring schools ultimately helped him find the opportunities and environment he needed in order to grow.
“ASU wins because there’s just so much here,” Nicolay said. “It’s overwhelming sometimes, but it challenges you in the best way.”
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