Nicole first joined the Florida Institute of Oceanography as a student assistant during her senior year at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in Marine Biology from USFSP in May 2021. Upon graduation, she worked at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, then as a Fisheries Observer with NOAA. She officially joined FIO in August 2022, taking on a position as the Administrative & Special Projects Assistant. She obtained a master’s degree in Project Management in May 2025 and now works as FIO’s Communications and Marketing Officer. She has been a lifeguard for many years, is SCUBA certified, has survived a commercial fishing vessel sinking in the GOM, and has a dolphin tattoo.