This is the inspiring, against-all-odds story
of
Nicholas Hallers ’24, who will
graduate as a “shining star” English major from
UST-Houston on May 11 and has been offered a fully funded position
in the Ph.D program in English at Baylor University.
Hallers’ Story
Describing himself as “fairly shy and bookish,” Nicholas Hallers
’24 avoided doing his homework in elementary school and “coasted
through grades 9-12 doing as little work as possible.” So, it was
no surprise a few years later when he graduated from Magnolia High
School in Magnolia, Texas, without distinction. Next, he embarked,
with a familiar lack of enthusiasm, on a road to higher education
at Sam Houston State University, declaring himself an English
major.
However, Hallers recalled, “My feelings about education had not
changed and had, in fact, become very habituated and stable. This
is to say I tried to coast through college like I had done for
years back in Magnolia.”
Missing “more than a few classes,” Hallers did not return to
SHSU for a sophomore year. At loose ends, he spent the next few
years working. First, for his father, a restauranteur who had
wanted his son to study actuarial mathematics. Next, for a couple
of plumbers as an apprentice. During that time, he did some growing
up.
“Freddy Grimes of Sargent Plumbing and Michael Rodriguez of
Mike’s Plumbing are to be credited with whipping me into shape as
far as work ethic goes,” he said. “I can reflect now with Seamus
Heaney that, indeed, a pen is much lighter than a
shovel.”
In 2020, he stopped working, experienced the start of the COVID
pandemic, and in August decided to try school again, this time at
Lone Star College. Once again, he declared as an English major.
Trajectory of a Turnaround
A turning point occurred less than two months later when Hallers
was received into the Catholic Church. He noticed a change.
“I became increasingly enthusiastic about education and
learning,” he remembers. “During that period, I read what is still
my favorite novel, Flannery O’Connor’s ‘The Violent Bear It Away,’
and I also read Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s ‘The Idiot,’ which I think
about to this day.”
When it was time for Hallers to transfer to a four-year
university, he prayed — “probably the Rosary or Chaplet of Divine
Mercy” — and a “certain school” unexpectedly came to mind. He
applied to that one school, UST, and was accepted to the fall 2022
class.
The Dedicated UST Faculty Difference
Signing up for the 8 a.m. Classical Tradition course
with Sr. Maria Frassati Jakupcak, the newly
inspired student embraced UST’s transformative atmosphere and
“didn’t miss a single class.”
“In fact, from time to time, I’d stop into Sister’s office to
chat about Platonic forms, Jungian archetypes, and Flannery
O’Connor, among other things. During the following semester,
Hallers took Dr. Clinton Brand’s Dante and Modern
Poetry class, where he encountered the art of T.S. Eliot.
He said, “Like Sr. Maria Frassati, Dr. Brand was very generous
with his time, and I spent many hours that spring in both of their
offices.”
Last fall, Hallers learned Modern Irish Literature and much more
from Dr. Martin Lockerd, who mentored
the passionate writer in applying to graduate schools for English
Literature.
“I think I stayed up until 5 a.m. one night working on the paper
I was going to send off to graduate programs, only to have it
summarily sent back to me a few hours later with copious
suggestions for revision. Dr. Lockerd is to be credited with
whipping my writing into shape, and with getting me into graduate
school.”
Grounded in the Traditions of Catholic Higher Education
at UST
Finally, Hallers brought his story to the present.
Demonstrating he is guided by prayer and a profound trust in the
future, he said, “Spring 2024, in which we presently live, I am
working away at my classes, praying a lot, and trying to discern
God’s will for my life. I have no five-year plan or vision for what
my future may look like. But, with the Psalmist David, I can say,
‘The Lord is my shepherd. I shall want for nothing. He makes me to
lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he
restores my soul.’”
Congratulations to Nicholas Hallers, UST Class of 2024. May his
story inspire others to overcome obstacles and go after their
passions with discipline and faith.
Commencement 2024 When and Where
UST-Houston Commencement 2024 takes place Saturday, May 11, at
11 a.m., at NRG Stadium, 8400 Kirby Drive. UST commencement
celebrates the achievements of
684 undergraduates and 302 graduate students.
The Baccalaureate Mass held on Friday, May 10, at the Co-Cathedral
of the Sacred Heart and the Commencement the following day will be
livestreamed. View the livestream link
here.
Christopher Zeglin
University of St. Thomas - Houston
(832) 414-5066
zeglinc@stthom.edu
Nicholas Hallers
(281) 541-3196
nickhallersms@gmail.com