Name: Nikki Sharan
Graduation year and program: Case Institute of Technology Class of 1991
Involvement with Alpha Chi Omega:
Nikki is currently the IT Service Delivery Manager at American Institutes for Research (AIR), a non-profit organization located in Washington, DC, whose vast portfolio includes working with the Cleveland Public Schools and the State of Ohio Board of Education.
After leaving Cleveland, Nikki wanted to remain involved with her alma mater as nostalgia hit. She attended a couple of local Alpha Chi Omega alumnae meetings but realized she wanted to be more focused to the local chapter. When Amy Zoldak started talking about the virtual alumni chapter, Nikki immediately started helping out. Nikki participates with the local alumnae chapter and hopes to become more involved with MTM again.
Professional Career After College:
Nikki started as an Office Manager at a manufacturing plant. After working on automating many of the functions with the sole, shared PC in the office she left and started working for GTE Mobilnet. There she moved up the IT ranks and attained her MBA from Weatherhead in the part-time program. Then, Nikki moved to Atlanta with GTE and stayed through the merger to Verizon Wireless. Shortly thereafter she moved to northern Virginia as the Telecom Manager of an outsourcing company, where she managed domestic and international call centers. After a few years of being a road warrior, Nikki settled down as the Telecom Manager of a DC non-profit organization and just recently expanded her role.
Highlights of your AXO and campus experience:
Nikki's Alpha Chi Omega experience was incredibly positive and she formed bonds for life. She was a second semester pledge and didn’t realize she was being rushed until a friend, a sister, (figuratively) smacked me upside the head and asked: “Are you interested in Alpha Chi? They are rushing you.” While, it took her a bit of time to get settled into AXO but eventually she learned to become a self-aware and a self-confident person. Nikki attributes the sisterhood and her sisters with enabling her to grow as a person. As an engineering major, coming home to a group of women was great after classes and study sessions with all men.
Nikki eventually went on to become the Zeta Upsilon Chapter President at a time when they shifted elections and formal rush to spring semester, so she learned how to manage change; a skill that she uses all the time now. All the formals, parties, Initiations, Greek Weeks, never measured up to times with the sisters though which she treasures the most: like 2 am study breaks, Sunday morning brunches, Leutner dinners, getting ready together before outings, impromptu hallway conversations and especially each Fireside.
Advice for Current Alpha Chi’s:
In each experience Nikki has felt part of something great at Case and she is proud of that. Her Alpha Chi Omega experience made it even better so here are her words of advice:
· Be true to yourself and take the time to learn who you are and what you want
· Respect everyone; their similarities to you and especially their differences
· Enjoy your time together. The saying is true that some of our truest and best friends are found during our collegiate years.
The Future:
Nikki and her husband plan to move back to the Cleveland area. Ideally she hopes they can retire early or live as a single income family as Nikki would like to spend time being more active with her favorite charity, Room to Read. This organization partners with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children's literature, constructing schools, and providing education to girls. Room to Read has recently been named in the list of The 25 Best Philanthropies by Barron’s Magazine and is also the charity partner for Financial Time’s annual seasonal giving campaign.