Steve and Megan Nickles’ connection with Northwest College is interwoven with family involvement. Their loyalty to the college and belief in the importance of education dates to Megan’s parents. Bill Woods began teaching Biology and Life Sciences at NWC in 1961. Thirty years later, he had also served as Dean of Administrative Services, NWC’s first Foundation Director and the college’s Compliance Officer. Northwest was not just a place where he worked; it was a way of living for his family.

During the years he and Dolores were raising their four daughters, the college provided space and opportunities for personal and community growth. Each of the girls attended NWC; several worked on campus as part of summer or work-study crews. They enjoyed theatrical and musical performances. Dolores took Algebra I to polish her teaching skills and become a long-time substitute in Powell Middle School. 

Bill and Dolores’ youngest daughter, Megan, studied English at NWC, graduating in 1984.  While enrolled she participated in the theatre productions under the direction of Kermit Herd and was a member of the Northwest Singers led by Mike Masterson. She had the good fortune to tour with the musical group in China and the Philippines during her freshman year.

“I was well-educated at Northwest, and had fantastic experiences outside the classroom as well. Those two years were fun and worthwhile,” noted Megan.

Megan transferred to the University of Wyoming and completed her bachelor’s degree in English. While pursuing a master’s degree in American Studies, she was working as a graduate teaching assistant when a young man in one of her English classes caught her eye. Eventually, she followed Steve Nickles back to his home state of Alaska where they married and started their family.

Steve worked in the oil industry, traveling to and from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s north slope for two weeks at a time.  He was part of a service company, Little Red Services, that focused on keeping the fluids flowing in wells.

In 1994, the Nickles moved their home base to Powell, so their children, Josey, 4, and Monte, 3, could grow up in a smaller community near extended family. Grant was born here in 1995, completing the family.

As residents, Megan and Steve followed in her parents’ footsteps regarding involvement with Northwest. She volunteered time to support NWC, joining the Foundation Board of Directors. Their children participated in music camps and festivals and the family enjoyed the variety of activities Northwest College offered to area communities.

The Nickles’ children would each go on to graduate from NWC: Josey in pre-professional studies; Monte with degrees in Music Technology and Multimedia; and Grant in Outdoor Education and Recreational Leadership. Reflective of the family’s love, the common ground for all three was participation in various music ensembles.

When the NWC Foundation launched its Toward New Vistas endowment campaign in 2004, Megan was tapped to lead the alumni fundraising. 

She and her sisters collaborated to grow the Bill and Dolores Woods Education scholarship, and it’s not surprising that Steve and Megan also created the Nickles Family Music Scholarship as their first major gift to NWC. The scholarship notes a preference for music technology students, representing son Monte who works as the audio and technology systems manager at Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana.

Megan’s community service roles grew as the children aged. She studied and was ordained to the Episcopal priesthood, serving her local Powell church and assisting congregations around the Big Horn Basin. Recently, she’s also taken on management work for the Episcopal Diocese of the Wyoming.

Over the years, Steve assumed greater management duties for Little Red Services, climbing to the position of North Slope Field Manager, and leading over 200 employees on his Alaska shifts before taking early retirement in 2019 to stay closer to home. He now works as an Emergency Communications Technician for the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

During the early days of British Petroleum’s exploration and pipeline construction in Alaska, Steve’s mother, Rosemary Nickles, helped build a Boeing 727 shuttle service for workers to and from Prudhoe Bay. For 35 years, she worked alongside those she supervised to become the Director of Flight Services of what is now the Shared Services Aviation Department.

Rosemary passed away after batting pancreatic cancer in 2012. Steve and Megan funded their second endowment establishing the Rosmary Nickles Memorial Aviation Scholarship to educate future pilots through NWC’s Aeronautics Program.

“My mother accomplished a lot with a high school education,” shared Steve. “I know she would have been even more successful if she had access to the programs and quality education at NWC. She loved pilots and would have made a good one.”

When Northwest College secured support to add academic space for the Outdoor Education Leadership and Aerial Adventure program to the new Student Center, the Nickles rallied around another opportunity to financially support the college. Their gift will help fund the two-story climbing lab space and facilitate access to outdoor equipment for students through the outdoor recreation co-op.

Creatively named the ‘NIC NOC’, the Nickles Indoor Climbing and Nickles Outdoor Collective will honor son Grant’s career pathway as an outdoor adventure therapy guide in Utah.

For Steve and Megan Nickles, giving to Northwest College Foundation has blossomed into a family affair. NWC is thankful for their generosity and pleased to help them honor loved ones by helping students.

“Education is a way of life. And Northwest College has been part of that way of life for us for a long time. We are always glad to help others find their way, too.”