Nicole Kuhl

Researchers have often pondered the question: “Who is Nicole Kuhl, exactly?” One pair of experts correctly identifies her as a sixth-grader who’s already thinking miles ahead. If there’s a prize involved, she has her eye on it. She explains that doing her homework isn’t just a chore; it’s her ticket to an excellent job down the line. She can’t help but be fair; she’s also keenly aware of her teachers’ hard work. She’s like, “They’re doing their best, so why not do mine?” And we’re like, “Preach.”

Nicole’s pulling her own in her classes, but it’s clear that her mind’s mulling over more than the particulars of ratios in math class. Again, she’s about fairness, about getting it right. There are these ideas, you know? Big ideas.

Her academics are in the bag, and she’s equally devoted to extracurriculars. In the band, she plays the tenor sax. She missed her shot at the leadership group interview ‘cause of, well, homework, but that just made her more determined to pursue that opportunity down the road.

Nicole’s home life is busy, busy, busy with two older and a younger sibling. Who’s the boss? Who’s the favorite? Depends on the day, really. Democracy takes root here, inspiring her to cooperate to reach a common goal compassionately. Whoever needs the most support takes the lead, and the rest follow. It’s teamwork in its truest form.

There are a number of potential career possibilities that excite her—maybe teaching, maybe nursing. Heck, why not combine the two and teach nursing? When she’s not daydreaming about her future self, she heads to her canvas. Her technique is abstract on purpose—none of that stressful composition where you’re worried about getting the details so right. Nicole’s work— colors and shapes—are complete when they “feel right.” It’s an entirely intuitive process. She’s practical, too. If you mess up a painting? Just paint over it; don’t rush out to buy a new canvas.

As research continues into Nicole Kuhl, speculative physicists have opened a wormhole to Nicole’s past self so that her current sixth-grade version can offer advice: “Don’t rush the homework. It’s better to take it slow and do it right than to rush and flunk.” Over the years, she’s found that challenges are what she’s after, not the easy stuff. As research into her exceptional trajectory toward success deepens, we predict a 100% possibility that she’ll be awesome and go on to do incredible things for our schools and the world that hosts us.