From generation, to generation

When you have a great-grandma (Faye Adams Howell, ’31) and a great-great grandma (Nell Colton Parker Sieg Grant, ’30) who were both among the first students at your alma mater, you know the blue and gold roots run deep.

Faith Nickerson graduated in June 2021, and became the fifth generation of her family to do so.

EOU has been part of Nickerson’s childhood long before she became a student herself. Her mom, Kathy Howell Nickerson, ’92 and ’93, brought Nickerson to campus for bike rides and to walk the family dog, while her grandma, Patti Clarke Howell Stinnett, ’71, brought the kids to on-campus art shows and plays.

Nickerson’s great-grandma, Zona Parker Clarke, ’82, attended first grade in the basement of Inlow Hall while Zona’s mother took some of the first classes the university offered.

All told, Nickerson was at least the seventh person from her family to graduate from EOU. They celebrated with a backyard party after watching the livestream ceremony.

Completing her biology and chemistry requirements through remote learning presented a real challenge, and Nickerson said she’s been grateful for support from her family. Greater access to in-person labs and research boosted her through the final terms of her degree.

“It was nice to have that interaction back this year,” she said. “Not necessarily how I planned to end my four years of college, but a nice way to be able to see people and communicate with those professors for the last time.”

She hopes to pursue her interest in ecological biology and work for a nonprofit or the U.S. Forest Service.

Regardless of where she lands, Nickerson said she can count on the firm foundation she gained at EOU.

“[My family] tell me stories of these places on campus where I’ve actually been,” she said. “It adds a special significance to EOU.”