- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA – Candice Nunn is far from your average student. As an undergraduate, she carried no less 18 units (a full class load) each semester. She served as an officer with the Student Government Association, interned most summers or traveled abroad, and volunteered in her spare time. On May 13, she will graduate Lincoln University with two Bachelor of Science degrees (one in political science and the other in religion), a minor in international studies, and a certificate in pre-law. More impressively, she completed her studies in four years and with honors. As a graduate student this fall, she’ll double major again studying religion and law, this time at Vanderbilt University, which admitted her on an academic and merit scholarship. She aspires to open a non-profit for African Americans.
“I always had a desire to become a lawyer,” said Nunn, who majored in criminal justice as a freshman and later switched to political science. Her ultimate goal is to be a Supreme Court justice. Looking at Lincoln alumnus Thurgood Marshall as per role model, she says “that was my whole reason for coming to Lincoln: to walk in the path of the great Thurgood Marshall.”
Nunn worked part-time for a national non-partisan organization, which gave her a rich perspective on non-profits. This year the organization, the 2020 Club, is coordinating efforts with the Democratic and Republication national committees from now until the presidential election.
“Working for a national organization has taught me the fundamentals of organizing, about people, and how things can be accomplished.”
First generation to go to school
Originally from Seattle, Nunn was recruited to Lincoln University on an academic scholarship, which she maintained throughout her four years. Adopted into a military family when she was three days old, Nunn will be the first college graduate in the family.
Her parents gave her a nurturing foundation rooted in faith. As a “preacher’s kid,” as she calls herself (her mother is a minister), pairing religion with law was a natural, logical choice. “It [religion] was fulfilling and it supplemented my political science major well.”
She would later have successive summer internships within field of law in New York: one with alumna Judge Ruth Shillingsford ’81 and the other with the Brooklyn’s District Attorney Ken Thompson, the first African American to hold the position. Of her decision to include international studies as a minor, Nunn states “it challenged me.”
Plans after college
After graduate school, Nunn plans to start a national organization for African Americans focusing on public policy, community development, and ministry. While other organizations have specific charters, her non-profit will be more holistic to help African Americans advance beyond the systemic, institutional forces entrenched in traditional institutions, which Nunn believes will “help with all facets of our community.”
By Maureen Stokes, Office of Communications & Public Relations
Photo by Shelley Mix