Mini Autobiography

It all started on September 11, 1994, right around the corner from Michigan State University at Sparrow Hospital. I, Nicole Baumer, was born there with my twin sister Kate to two crazy but cool parents; we were surrounded by our loud-mouthed family, all dying to get a picture with the matching little “peanuts.”

Though Kate and I were both raised to bleed green, love God, and have passion in everything we do, we are as opposite as night is to day, as Joan Jett is to Barbie. We love and understand each other more than anyone else ever could, but also frequently want to strangle each other.

As kids, we frequently attended MSU football, basketball, and hockey games decked out the latest Spartan appliqué sweatshirts (courtesy of our mother), screen-printed shoe laces, and plastic pom-poms. One might say this is where my “spirit” at MSU football games comes from. We grew up learning that there was nothing better than a smashed, plastic-wrapped hot dog from the concession stand, and splitting an ice cream sandwich three ways with dad was a delicacy. To this day, I enjoy nothing more than chomping down on one of these treats as our student section cheers the Spartans to victory!

Whether I was in them or watching them, sports taught me many life lessons. I learned at an early age that “sharing is caring,” even if my teammates would not pass me the basketball because I was the only girl on the team.  I also learned to “suck it up” and be strong-willed. Sports taught me to know the difference between when I should fight for something versus when I could fight for something. (Those darn referees were just so unfair.) Out of all of these lessons, however, I value my work ethic the most. My coaches, teammates, and rivals taught me that if I want something, I have to work for it. If I am not born with it, I earn it. Everyone starts at the bottom, and you pay your dues to get to the top. Not being a star in sports has definitely kept my ego down, and I attribute my lack of sheer talent to God because He knew I would get a big head otherwise.

Throughout high school, I juggled my loves of singing, acting, lacrosse, and God through extracurricular activities. These continue to be passions of mine, but it has been harder to find outlets in college. My senior year of high school was my year of pride: I sang in the top two choirs, I earned the lead in our fall musical, I started every game in lacrosse, I led my church’s youth group every Sunday, and to top it off, I received an acceptance letter and an Academic Scholars Program invitation from the best university in the nation!

Today, as an Advertising and Public Relations major, I focus a lot on politics, studies, and friends. My besties are girls that keep coming back into my life, so I know they're the real deal. :) My best friend of all time, though, is my mom (even though I'm a daddy's girl). She is my sunshine, and I couldn't imagine life without her. She's such an awesome, strong leader, so I guess I'm okay if I am a lot like her. ;)  I am looking into the Greek world for opportunities and support, and am also balancing a job at the State of Michigan, which I have had for a year and a half (it is a big improvement from my previous job at McDonald’s). As a “born and raised” Michigander and “tried and true” Spartan, I have had some of the most inspirational and insightful experiences of my life within Michigan’s capital city. In the same respect, my experiences have been limited to the surrounding geographical borders, and I hope to expand beyond them and improve my cultural understanding so I can rely less on stereotypes and more on personal observations.