Going the Distance With Cole Nash

December 15, 2022

Cole Nash

Cole Nash is a sophomore double-majoring in economics and management with a real estate emphasis. He’s also a stand-out member of the UAA cross-country team, who has already earned three All American honors. Last month Nash won the GNAC regionals by 17 seconds and then came in sixth at nationals.

When Nash first started at UAA, he was undecided about his major. He discovered that he loved learning economics, from behavioral game theory to statistical analysis. He is interested in working in real estate management as a career, so added that as a second major.

Nash is also a teaching assistant in Economics 312, Econometrics for Business and Economics. That role has taught him a lot about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. “I emphasize understanding why someone needs help in the first place,” Nash said. “Some students struggle in math and statistics in general and need some guidance with the core concepts before we can move on to the specifics of the assignments. Sometimes students are just hung up on one little thing that throws them off.”

After graduation, Nash intends to pursue an MBA while still running. Then he hopes to travel for a couple of years before working in real estate. Ultimately, he would like to develop his own management firm and portfolio.

For now, balancing academics and athletics is the focus. “It’s challenging at times,” Nash said, “but it gets easier with such a strong university department and teammates to help me continue to focus on the important tasks and get better every day.”

“Cole is an outstanding student athlete and we are extremely proud of his accomplishments in both running and academics,” said economics professor Lance Howe. “Cole also contributes to the economics program through his tutoring and through his involvement in many of the unique opportunities in the College of Business and Public Policy, and particularly in the Real Estate and Economics programs. As faculty, we are working hard to restore vibrancy to our programs and students like Cole are helping us build programs of excellence at UAA.”