Admissions Counselor
Education: 2005 B.A. in Media Arts & Design with a concentration in Cinema Studies
Hometown: Edinburg, VA
Email: nilsensj@jmu.edu
Interests: Playing the piano, movies, crocheting, theatre, traveling, canoe trips, useless trivia, the Olympics, skiing, Riverfest in Wilmington, NC.
Why I chose to attend JMU: During the process of deciding where to go to college, I spoke to a mentor of mine about what I really wanted to get out of my education. He knew a lot about JMU and suggested that it sounded like a place where I would be very happy. I loved the liberal arts education aspect (yes, I loved the GenEd program!) and was very impressed by the study abroad opportunities – I knew I wanted to take advantage of that.
What JMU means to me: JMU means opportunity and growth. There are so many open doors that lead to some of the best experiences. From the moment I stepped on campus my freshman year, I just felt like the whole world was at my fingertips and all I had to do was be open to the new situations I was faced with.
Advice to students selecting a college: Make sure you visit the colleges you are interested in to see how you feel on campus. Talk to current students, faculty and staff members to see why they like that specific college. Many times you can get a gut feeling just by walking around campus.
Favorites:
Professor: Dr. Charles Turner and Professor Rusty Greene in SMAD
Class at JMU: It’s a three way tie between Movies and Society, Modern Perspectives – Human Rights and Shakespeare in Performance (during my study abroad – our final exam was performing a scene on the Globe stage!)
JMU Memory: I did the fall semester of my junior year in London through JMU’s study abroad program. Not only is it my favorite JMU memory, it’s one of my favorite memories of all time.
Sports Teams: New York Mets, New Market Rebels (a Valley League baseball team)
Books: Matilda, The Glass Castle, The Other Boleyn Girl (anything by Philippa Gregory), and of course Harry Potter
Movies: Newsies, Oscar, Little Miss Sunshine, The Goonies, Miracle, Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, The Holiday, Curly Sue, Waiting for Guffman (all the Christopher Guest movies), Love Actually, Hairspray, Crash, The Mighty Ducks 2
TV Shows: Dog the Bounty Hunter, Little People Big World, Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU
Musical Artists: Ben Lee, Jamie Cullum, Stevie Wonder, Marit Larsen, Vanessa Carlton, Michael Jackson, The Jackson Five, Black Eyed Peas, Joss Stone, Mika, The Gabe Dixon Band, Heart, Earth Wind and Fire, Neil Diamond, Genesis
Vacation Spots: Stratford-On-Avon, England and London, England
