Graduate Staff Spotlight | Nick Masucci '17

I have several different roles in the Graduate School that I balance each day, which all have their own specific tasks. I handle enrollment for a third of our graduate programs, I am the liaison for our 4PLUS dual-degree program and I handle the bulk of our data management. Every day looks a little different, but I mainly spend every day assisting prospective students with their applications, attending undergraduate classes to promote our 4PLUS program and collecting/analyzing enrollment data for various departments on campus. 

Outside of the Graduate School, I coach lacrosse at various levels and am a current student in our master’s in school counseling program. I coach for our men’s lacrosse team here at Hood and am the head coach for Team Maryland Lacrosse Club’s 2027 Red Team (which was founded by an alum from our MBA program). Lacrosse has always been a big part of life, as I played since I was in 5th grade, and then transitioned to coaching after I finished out my playing career. Being in that mentorship role as a coach led me to pursue a degree in counseling. After I graduate from the counseling program, I hope to become a high school counselor and head lacrosse coach at the high school level.

All three roles boil down to having great people skills. Most of my work in enrollment management is working with prospective students as an adviser, while coaching and counseling are more mentorship focused and collaborative. I’ve always enjoyed working in spaces where I have to lead or work collaboratively with others, and all three of these roles allow me to do so.

Building relationships with prospective students and seeing them eventually graduate years after they’re admitted is my favorite part of this job. There are students I met in fall 2020 who just graduated this past May. Getting a graduate education can unlock so many doors for students, and I love being a part of a student’s journey.

I would tell someone to go for it! You’ll feel a huge sense of accomplishment in taking that next step by betting on yourself and your future. I was nervous going into my grad program because I hadn’t done anything remotely academic for more than four years. Once I got back in the swing of things, it ended up being pretty easy to balance school, work and coaching. All the classes here at the Graduate School take place after 5 p.m., and each class is only once a week. I take two classes a semester and one class in the summer, and I feel that I still have time to do homework and to relax as well. It’s only scary until you actually go for it!

I’m an undergraduate alum, and I had the chance to work in a professional capacity with my former professors. It was great getting to know them in a new setting and to put everything they taught me into action.

Ready to #GOFURTHER in your career? Learn about Hood College’s graduate programs, including the School Counseling program, by clicking here.