From plumbing drains to Dostoyevsky: Nicholas Hallers' transformative trek toward a Ph.D
Against-all-odds story of Nicholas Hallers ’24, who will graduate as a “shining star” English major from UST-Houston on May 11 and has been offered a fully funded position in the Ph.D program in English at Baylor University.
Houston, Texas, April 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This is the inspiring, against-all-odds story of Nicholas Hallers ’24, who will graduate as a “shining star” English major from UST-Houston on May 11 and has been offered a fully funded position in the Ph.D program in English at Baylor University.
Hallers’ Story
Describing himself as “fairly shy and bookish,” Nicholas Hallers ’24 avoided doing his homework in elementary school and “coasted through grades 9-12 doing as little work as possible.” So, it was no surprise a few years later when he graduated from Magnolia High School in Magnolia, Texas, without distinction. Next, he embarked, with a familiar lack of enthusiasm, on a road to higher education at Sam Houston State University, declaring himself an English major.
However, Hallers recalled, “My feelings about education had not changed and had, in fact, become very habituated and stable. This is to say I tried to coast through college like I had done for years back in Magnolia.”
Missing “more than a few classes,” Hallers did not return to SHSU for a sophomore year. At loose ends, he spent the next few years working. First, for his father, a restauranteur who had wanted his son to study actuarial mathematics. Next, for a couple of plumbers as an apprentice. During that time, he did some growing up.
“Freddy Grimes of Sargent Plumbing and Michael Rodriguez of Mike’s Plumbing are to be credited with whipping me into shape as far as work ethic goes,” he said. “I can reflect now with Seamus Heaney that, indeed, a pen is much lighter than a shovel.”
In 2020, he stopped working, experienced the start of the COVID pandemic, and in August decided to try school again, this time at Lone Star College. Once again, he declared as an English major.
Trajectory of a Turnaround
A turning point occurred less than two months later when Hallers was received into the Catholic Church. He noticed a change.
“I became increasingly enthusiastic about education and learning,” he remembers. “During that period, I read what is still my favorite novel, Flannery O’Connor’s ‘The Violent Bear It Away,’ and I also read Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s ‘The Idiot,’ which I think about to this day.”
When it was time for Hallers to transfer to a four-year university, he prayed — “probably the Rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy” — and a “certain school” unexpectedly came to mind. He applied to that one school, UST, and was accepted to the fall 2022 class.
The Dedicated UST Faculty Difference
Signing up for the 8 a.m. Classical Tradition course with Sr. Maria Frassati Jakupcak, the newly inspired student embraced UST’s transformative atmosphere and “didn’t miss a single class.”
“In fact, from time to time, I’d stop into Sister’s office to chat about Platonic forms, Jungian archetypes, and Flannery O’Connor, among other things. During the following semester, Hallers took Dr. Clinton Brand’s Dante and Modern Poetry class, where he encountered the art of T.S. Eliot.
He said, “Like Sr. Maria Frassati, Dr. Brand was very generous with his time, and I spent many hours that spring in both of their offices.”
Last fall, Hallers learned Modern Irish Literature and much more from Dr. Martin Lockerd, who mentored the passionate writer in applying to graduate schools for English Literature.
“I think I stayed up until 5 a.m. one night working on the paper I was going to send off to graduate programs, only to have it summarily sent back to me a few hours later with copious suggestions for revision. Dr. Lockerd is to be credited with whipping my writing into shape, and with getting me into graduate school.”
Grounded in the Traditions of Catholic Higher Education at UST
Finally, Hallers brought his story to the present.
Demonstrating he is guided by prayer and a profound trust in the future, he said, “Spring 2024, in which we presently live, I am working away at my classes, praying a lot, and trying to discern God’s will for my life. I have no five-year plan or vision for what my future may look like. But, with the Psalmist David, I can say, ‘The Lord is my shepherd. I shall want for nothing. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.’”
Congratulations to Nicholas Hallers, UST Class of 2024. May his story inspire others to overcome obstacles and go after their passions with discipline and faith.
Commencement 2024 When and Where
UST-Houston Commencement 2024 takes place Saturday, May 11, at 11 a.m., at NRG Stadium, 8400 Kirby Drive. UST commencement celebrates the achievements of 684 undergraduates and 302 graduate students. The Baccalaureate Mass held on Friday, May 10, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and the Commencement the following day will be livestreamed. View the livestream link here.
Attachment
Christopher Zeglin University of St. Thomas - Houston (832) 414-5066 zeglinc@stthom.edu Nicholas Hallers (281) 541-3196 nickhallersms@gmail.com
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