Miami Lakes resident and class of 2014 Monsignor Edward Pace High School (Pace) alumnus, Nicholas Fernández graduated from the highly distinguished Princeton University on June 5. He completed his four years of undergraduate studies as Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in politics and a certificate in American studies.
Fernández was the recipient of the University’s Harold Willis Dodds Achievement Prize, which was given during the school’s annual class day ceremony in June. This prestigious award is presented to a senior who best embodies the qualities of Princeton’s fifteenth president, Harold Dodds. Those qualities include “clear thinking, moral courage, a patient and judicious regard for the opinions of others, and a thorough going devotion to the welfare of the University and to the life of the mind.”
Initially, Fernández entered Princeton with plans to pursue studies in architecture, but he then realized that his aspirations were more aligned with a career in public service. During his undergraduate years, he served as the co-editor-in-chief of the undergraduate yearbook, and led key fundraising efforts for student organizations. He founded an orientation leadership group and also served on several of the university’s committees.
During two of his summer recesses, Fernández remained in Princeton, New Jersey while interning with the office of the dean of Undergraduate Students and with the office of Development. Additionally, he had the opportunity to participate in a summer abroad program with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance in Stockholm, Sweden.
During his time at Pace, Fernández consistently stood out as a high-achieving member of the student body and exemplified a passion and focus for politics. This love of American politics was so strong, that it inspired him to dedicate his university senior thesis to the evolution of the Democratic and Republican parties' socioculturaland economic rhetoric at presidential nominating conventions from 1956-2016.
Four years after his graduation as a Spartan, his name is still synonymous with ambition and drive. Fernández says he owes much of that to the foundation he received during his high school years.
“I know that Pace played an important role not only in getting me there (to Princeton,) but also in helping me thrive. By providing me with invaluable leadership skills, teaching me to truly love learning and strengthening my faith in God's grace and truth."
Following graduation, Fernández returned back to South Florida. He has been actively working with various political campaigns for the recent midterm primary elections as well as for the upcoming general elections in November. Up next for Fernández, he plans to prepare to take both the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and Law School Admission Test (LSAT) exams in order to follow his next aspiration: law school.