Staff Profiles: Nicole Ault, Editor-in-Chief

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Staff Profiles: Nicole Ault, Editor-in-Chief

 

Nicole Ault is a senior studying economics. (Nicole Ault/Collegian)

 

Bottom of the ninth. Bases are loaded. A ten-year old Nicole Ault is standing at home plate with her bat, gearing up for an unexpected and epic home-run hit.

That was the fiery feeling Ault often experienced as the only girl on her brother’s baseball team. And, although her baseball days may be long over, she still joins her brothers in the backyard for a heated game of wiffle ball every now and then.

Ault, now 21 years old and a senior at Hillsdale College, spent her childhood pursuing all different interests, some of which she still enjoys today.

“I ran cross-country in high school and still run regularly,” Ault said. “I did a lot of drawing and painting in middle and high school, and still do those occasionally, along with photography, in my free time. I’ve always been a bookworm.”

Ault grew up in Catonsville, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore, where she lived her whole life prior to Hillsdale. Ault is the oldest of six children with three brothers and two sisters.

“They keep me grounded,” Ault said.

In addition to her siblings, she greatly admires her mother, citing her as her biggest personal inspiration.

“She works hard to serve my family and everyone she knows, but she’s always cheerful and encouraging,” Ault said. “She’s shown me how to balance seriousness with a good (often goofy) sense of humor.”

Ault seeks to live by the example set by her mother and also by award-winning journalist Peggy Noonan. Beyond her beautiful writing, Ault admires Noonan’s vast experience and wisdom about politics, people, and life in general.

Attending Hillsdale was an obvious choice for Ault, who went to a classical K-12 Christian school where several teachers had degrees from Hillsdale. Ault said she loved the academic rigor, kind people, and opportunities offered in Washington, D.C.

Once at Hillsdale, Ault immediately got involved writing for The Collegian. She began reporting her first semester freshman year and served as the Assistant Features Editor in the Fall of 2017.

Ault noted that features is her favorite section, as it can uniquely showcase how interesting the world is and how different people are.

In the spring of 2018, she participated in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program, interning for the United States Finance Committee’s communications team.

Ault is majoring in Economics with a minor in journalism. She plans on pursuing journalism following graduation this spring, ideally reporting for a print newspaper or magazine. Ault said her dream would be to report for The Wall Street Journal, which has long been her favorite news source.

Although reporting in college can be difficult and time-consuming, Ault’s favorite spot on campus is the heart of all of that: the Collegian office.

“It’s never boring. It’s usually full of great people and always full of great newsprint,” Ault said. “Some of my most stressful and most happy moments have happened there.”

Ault will be spending her final year serving as the Editor-In-Chief of The Collegian. While some shy away from the largest role in the newspaper, she sees it as an opportunity. Her life motto is Matthew 6:33, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all this will be added unto you.” It’s what drives Ault in her work.

“God doesn’t fulfill our ambitions unless we first surrender our plans to Him and seek His will most of all,” Ault said.