Nicole Cockey

A native of North Carolina, Nicole grew up with a passion for storytelling and creative expression through language arts. Over the years, this passion has been expressed through poetry and other forms of creative writing, as well as technical and professional communications.

Nicole began her career in public education while living on the west coast where she taught as a writing assistant at Portland State University and completed two years of AmeriCorps with Oregon Campus Compact and the California Conservation Corps. Those experiences prepared her to continue creating rich learning environments at FernLeaf.

Nicole is a graduate of UNC Wilmington and Western Carolina University, where she completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in English. Nicole has taught English at every level ranging from seventh-grade ELA to college composition. Her lifelong mission is to inspire teens to voice themselves in the world beyond the classroom and find authentic joy in learning that enriches the whole self, develops a sense of personal purpose and fulfillment, and improves the world in which we live.

Nicole is married to a school-based therapist and also a parent of two FernLeafers at the Creek Campus, Finn and Sasha. When she is not busy with teaching or tending her own kids, Nicole can be found reading, writing, splashing through creeks, and foraging for edible mushrooms.