Meet Nolan Rickett ’27 This neuroscience major takes advantage of W&L’s beautiful natural surroundings, including walking the back campus trails.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
November 12, 2024

Nolan Rickett ’27
Hometown: Urbana, Ohio
Major/minor: Neuroscience major and philosophy minor

Where is your “home” on campus?
I think I feel most at home at the Washingtonian House down in front of the Colonnade. As a person who is in long recovery, it is a safe haven not only from the stresses that recovery brings, but also from the noise of life at times, whether it is a game of pool, studying on the porch or just relaxing on the couch.

Have you found a mentor on campus? Who is it, and how have they helped you develop as a student?
I think the professor who inspires me most would be Dr. Nikki Lee in the cognitive and behavioral science/neuroscience department. I want to be a professor of neuroscience, and when I think about what type of professor I want to be, I think of Dr. Lee. She keeps classes engaging but also allows her human side to come through and is always willing to have a discussion, whether on voles or just about life (not to mention she has an adorable dog; love you, Wynnie).

What was your favorite class and why?
My favorite class so far has been my metaphysics class in the Winter Term of my sophomore year with Dr. Li Kang. Every class that we have had was insightful and left me intrigued by the topics and ideas that we have covered in class. No matter what was being talked about, I was engaged, and it left me with a profound enjoyment and the ability to question things in a constructively skeptic way.

What are your hobbies/interests? How has W&L helped you develop and pursue them?
I am an avid enjoyer of spending time outside. I love spending time in nature, surrounded only by the noise of the world around me. W&L has that unique geography that you are able to explore the beautiful nature of Virginia, whether on a walk through the woods on the back campus trails, spending a fall afternoon playing a round of disc golf or sitting in a hammock reading.

Fun fact: I can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 10 seconds, and I compete semi-often in sanctioned competitions on my free weekends.