From publishing children’s books to editing video scripts to applying her background in psychology into her writing, Communications and Marketing Manager Ms. Nico Waters excels in the art of communicating. With decades of hands-on experience coordinating the intricacies of communications in various mediums, Ms. Waters joins the Bishop’s marketing team. 

Q: How have your past experiences prior to Bishop’s developed you both as a professional and an individual?  

“I went to college and got a degree in psychology; I actually have found that knowing that side of things has helped me with my writing. The reason is because I always try to make sure I think about the reader and what their experience will be with whatever it is that I’m writing.” 

“A lot of times I feel like people will think about their writing like, ‘oh, I want to say this and this and this and this and this.’ But, in actuality, you have to flip it around and think about the person who’s reading that material or who’s digesting it, whether they’re watching a video or reading an article or looking at a social media caption. And so, you align your words to their expectations.”

“Communications—it kind of marries all of that. It marries the writing skills, the editing skills, as well as a little bit of psychology to make sure that you keep in mind the person who’s receiving that information.”

Q:  I saw on your LinkedIn you said your greatest strength is writing, how are you bringing that to your work here at Bishop’s? 

“With this position, there is definitely a lot of writing involved. So for example, one of the biggest things that I do is  work on the news articles that go on bishops.com/news web page. There’s a big writing element, I’ve been doing about a couple articles a week. Some of it though is proofing, editing, or working on video scripts for different departments. The writing will be a variety of things. Sometimes I help Arielle, my colleague, with social media captions. So yeah, writing for Bishop’s has definitely been a variety of different things.”

Q: What is a day at work like for you?

“You know, it’s funny you say that because when I interviewed and I asked my boss, Cathy, the same kind of question and she said, ‘no two days are the same.’ And it’s true. Now that I’ve been here for several months, I could definitely say no two days are the same.”

“But, I can give you examples of different things. Today I’m working on web articles and I’m also going to do some revising of a video script. Then later on today, we’re going to help out a consultant who will be doing some video work. Then, a lot of times I do some photography.”

“In my previous position, I had no photography, but I love photography. It’s so fun and it gives me a chance to interact with you all, with students, that I may not necessarily have that chance, even though it’s really a split second moment. But you know, one of the main reasons I’m here is to be in this kind of environment, to be around students. So I like to have those chances.”

Q: What brought you to Bishop’s and what do you hope for your time here?

“Well, what brought me here was being here incorporates my interest in writing, editing, and also I have been writing children’s books… Being around kids was a big thing, and here’s a job that blends all of these interests. That’s not an opportunity that you can find a lot.” 

“Most of the time when you think about a job in a school environment, you think of a teacher, but I don’t have those credentials. Yet, I work in marketing communications and to be able to have that skill set and bring it into an environment where there’s younger people is wonderful.”

“I feel honored to be able to share stories about the amazing things people are doing in the Bishop’s community, especially the students. From science projects to community service projects, it’s inspiring to learn about all the great things happening here and to write about it on the Bishop’s News web page or in the Bishop’s magazine.”

Q: Tell me more about your children’s books?

“It is a hobby that I enjoy. I published some books with Saddleback Educational Publishing. They have a niche market for kids who are struggling readers… kids who may be, for example, in 11th grade, but are reading at the second or third grade level. For example it might be, you know, kids where English is a second language, or maybe they have some learning challenges or reading challenges. So that’s been really neat.”

“And then my last project I wrote was for grades three through six. And that was with Capstone Press. And that is a book with a fictional character who plays pickleball. She’s in a sports camp for tennis, but she ends up converting to and joining the pickleball camp in that little journey of her making that decision. It’s super cute and I’m excited about it. That should come out in the spring.”

Q:  Are there any other things that you like doing in your free time besides writing books? 

“I have to say I do like to exercise in short bursts, but almost every day. Walking and yoga are two things I like. I also try to practice Tai Chi, but I’m not that great at it. That’s why they call it practice.I also love making greeting cards, drawing or painting, reading and I love watching things on streaming or movies.”

Q: Do you have a favorite movie or show?

“I would say my favorite movie would probably be Forrest Gump. I love that movie. A show that’s got me hooked right now is The Lincoln Lawyer.”

Welcome to Bishop’s Ms. Waters! We can’t wait for all the joyous memories and stories you will share and create here.