Nick Sinram
As a teen, former Council Scholarship Recipient and current chair of our Board of Directors Nick Sinram didn’t know exactly what he wanted to study in college, but he did have a good idea of where he wanted to do it. Growing up on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, he loved the beautiful landscapes that ran down the entire river valley. So, when he got accepted to the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, he knew he was going to the right place. Nick, who was born with a form of albinism, is legally blind. When he graduated high school in 2007, the Council awarded him a scholarship to help with his college costs.
While it took a little while to decide what he wanted to study, Nick eventually landed on Political Science, Psychology and Public Administration. He says that while this sounds like a heavy lift, the three majors were offered as a set with overlapping classes. “I liked learning about how people act as individuals and then how they act as a group or society,” Nick says. “I really enjoyed a lot of my classes there.” After graduating in 2012, Nick made his way to Milwaukee to attend law school at Marquette University, where he graduated a few years later.
Nick still lives in Milwaukee today and has worked as a public servant in multiple roles. After holding positions in local government, including a stint an assistant district attorney for a few years, he eventually landed the job of budget director with Milwaukee Public Schools. “When you oversee a budget of over a billion dollars, it sort of feels like you’re always working on it,” Nick says. “But we do it to make sure that all students, regardless of race, income level, or level of disability, can get the education they deserve.”
While it’s a demanding job, Nick still has time to give back to the Council. In 2018 Nick joined our Board of Directors, and he now serves as its Chair. For Nick, it’s been both a way to use his skills to say “thank you” and an opportunity to grow as a leader. “I’ve been helped by the Council by more than just the Scholarship,” he says. “I’d gotten orientation and mobility training and access technology training from the Council when I was younger. I feel like I have some big shoes to fill as Chair, but it’s so rewarding to use my background in policy and finance to give back to the blind and low vision community. I’ve grown both personally and professionally since joining the Board.”
The Council has been awarding scholarships to postsecondary students who are blind or low vision for decades. You can find more information about our scholarship program at WCBlind.org/Events/Scholarships.