Through a role on a reality TV show, Nicole Cusack '06 MBA found a new reality.
And, possibly, a new use for that SAU master's degree.
The 33-year-old attorney said she never could have imagined how her life would be changed by a return to her Alaskan roots last year to film a Discovery Network program built around her father's life as a bear-hunting guide.
"I thought I was comfortable with my life and job in San Diego," said Cusack. "I got out there and realized I wasn't living enough. I was just working all the time."
Spoiler alert: A new season of the program Kodiak, which is currently on hiatus, will reveal Cusack's decision to abandon her fast-paced law practice to live year-round in Alaska for the first time since she was 5. She has even branched out to a different show, Deadliest Hunts, on The Outdoor Network, where she could be seen hunting bear this fall.
Growing up, Cusack spent summers at the family fishing lodge in a remote region of the Alaskan mainland. She earned her pilot's license as a necessary means of traveling in the rugged 49th state. But, from the age of 5 on, she and her family lived most of the year near Seattle.
"Honestly, a year ago, if somebody had told me I would be living in Alaska, I wouldn't have believed it," she said. "But it's funny, because it feels so much more authentic than what I was doing before."
Cusack came to St. Ambrose to earn her post-graduate business degree prior to enrolling in law school. She joined two cousins from Peoria, Ill., here.
She said an MBA marketing project that required the use of focus groups proved extremely helpful while selecting juries in her law practice. That is a practice that included representing former professional football players and the family of the late All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau in a repetitive head trauma lawsuit against the National Football League.
Now, as she prepares to practice law in Alaska, Cusack also expects to put her MBA to maximum use as she considers taking ownership of the family fishing lodge when her parents retire.
"Isn't that funny?" she said. "I always thought it would just be nice to have some extra letters after my name, but now it is actually going to be quite helpful. Definitely, there is a confidence factor that comes with having it."
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