In keeping with tradition, Fuqua School welcomed an alumnus, Nick Blessing, Class of 2009, political consultant, to deliver the keynote address for the Upper School fall academic awards.

During his time at Fuqua, Blessing was a three-sport athlete and president of the SCA. Upon graduation, he attended the University of Virginia, where he became active in student life and served as an executive of his fraternity, the school’s fraternal judicial board and worked alongside world-renowned political scientist Larry Sabato. He is a credited contributor to Sabato’s latest book, “The Kennedy Half Century,” and has also been featured in several political case studies.

Blessing was most recently featured in a post-election report published by I-360, a Washington, D.C.-based data and analytics firm, for his work developing, testing and applying campaign tools during the 2015 election cycle. He has managed and consulted various local, state and federal campaigns. In addition to his political endeavors, he is currently working with a small private equity business and a non-profit coalition to bring data driven analytics and 21st century marketing practices to their organizations.

During his speech, Blessing shared how his time at Fuqua School had a positive impact on his life. He encouraged students to relish their high school days and to take advantage of the many opportunities at Fuqua.