When Lori M. Nicholas (BS 1983 Mathematics) became the first in her family to go to college she knew it required working hard and setting ambitious goals, especially when women majoring in math was an anomaly. Needing to pay for college expenses Lori worked every summer and juggled classes and studying to work evenings and weekends. Her hard work paid off when she was hired as an associate actuary with Milliman & Robertson, a prestigious firm in Milwaukee. Determined to secure her license, Lori passed the required exams to acquire her Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Her professional success was even more impressive since early in her career she and her husband, David O. Nicholas (BBA 1983 Finance, Information Systems), became proud parents of a daughter, Kathryn L. Nicholas (BA 2008 Art History). One of her proudest accomplishments is starting a nonprofit youth girls’ basketball organization in Mequon, which she has been involved with for more than 15 years. No wonder her mother-in-law, Nancy Johnson Nicholas (BS 1955 Home Economics), decided a Christmas surprise announcing Lori’s recognition as a 100 Women honoree was the perfect way to acknowledge her many accomplishments and support Human Ecology’s Personal Finance program.