New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Meet Nicholas Walecka, 34 year-old Freelance Journalist, Photographer, Teacher. Nick spent a short while at UMass Dartmouth after graduating from high school, majoring in Business.
Not sure that the field of study was for him, he dropped out and started working for his families’ trucking business. During that time Nick got to see the country, but still felt like that wasn’t what he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing.
He returned home and after receiving his associates degree, returned to UMass where he eventually found a passion for writing, realizing he always did better with papers than he had taking tests. Graduating with a degree in Creative Writing, he started writing for the Advocate, a weekly paper run by the Standard Times focused on Acushnet and Fairhaven. There he gained immense knowledge of journalism and confidence in his writing, which opened doors for him to work with news outlets such as the Wareham Week, Dartmouth Week, The New Bedford Guide, and the Standard Times.
After a few years of working between these publications, he craved another career change and began substitute teaching in the New Bedford Public system. Nicholas was excited to fill in for a teacher who was promoted from her position at Trinity Middle school, an alternative school for children in New Bedford. After a year of substituting in that position, he was hired on full-time and is excited to inspire this kids.
Aside from his career as a teacher, he works with the HOPE Collaborative, a program organized by the New Bedford Police Department and City, where he tutors inner city kids. He is so thankful to be able to be apart of the community in New Bedford because it was the same community that has been able to push him and encourage him in everything he does.
“New Bedford has such a welcoming and supporting community, especially in the downtown area. You don’t see businesses competing but helping each other out”
Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com
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What a great article and subject (partial to the subject). Nick is such a fantastic writer and such a people person. Certainly can connect with anyone.
Talk about “baffling with bullshit”.
I am the daughter of a teacher, the wife of a former teacher and the sister of a guidance counselor. A qualified teacher has no less than a Bachelors degree.
Nick applauds himself by name dropping and taking credit for accomplishments of others.
I was a unit secretary at Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, a teaching hospital affiliated with Dartmouth College. That does not make me an Ivy leaguer. Just like my writing this comment does no make me a journalist.
Nick, w/o the internet you’d be a manager at some fast food restaurant. But with the internet you can be a hero to people like Cathy.
Can you please post your A.S. certificate. You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.