Captain Nicholas Swaggert

As far back as the age of eight, Nicholas recalls feeling different from other kids his age because even then he wanted to serve others, not be served. After high school, he enrolled at Iowa State University and earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science. In 2005, he became a Marine Corps infantry officer and in 2007 was promoted to platoon commander, leading his unit into Iraq. He was deployed twice as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Now, as a Marine Corps Reservist, Nicholas worked as manager of distribution operations for Target for a year, but wanted to recommit to helping veterans find jobs. As a full time student in the Master of Public Policy program at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, he is immersed in public policy, one of only a very few veterans actively participating in this field.

Long term, Nicholas aspires to bridge the gap between civilian hiring agencies and military veterans to help combat the problem of veteran unemployment. While Minnesota is a long way from western Iraq, he believes the lessons he learned on collaboration will translate into a future of synergizing the veteran/civilian team.