Nick Payne

Nicholas Payne

Midlands Tech transfer gets feet wet, sets stage for Bridge Program

  • Hometown: Lexington, S.C.
  • High School: Lexington High School
  • Major: Economics

Call Nicholas Payne a bridge builder ahead of his time.

Payne, who graduated from Lexington High School, attended Midlands Technical College for a year before entering Carolina.

"My family and I decided that I could take the same courses, get acclimated to college, live at home and accomplish the same goals."

A year later, Payne entered the University of South Carolina with a LIFE Scholarship. Little did he know that he was a pioneer and a role model for a soon-to-be-implemented agreement that would establish the Bridge Program, which allows Midlands Technical College students to transfer seamlessly to the University of South Carolina.

When the program was announced in 2007, Payne, who was student-body president at the time, was singled out as a "shining example" of the program's potential success.

In turn, Payne singles out several individuals on campus who helped him stay on the path once he crossed that bridge to the state's flagship campus.

"The first is Viki Fecas, who really took care of me and was my 'Mom away from home,' " he said of the popular counselor at the Career Center. "The second was my adviser, Rebecca Cole, who, just by asking me my favorite subject, helped me choose economics as my major. And that was one of the best decision I ever made. The third was Ken Corbett in the business and finance office, who taught me about goal setting. He really showed me how to set big goals and work on them piece by piece so that I could achieve them," Payne said.

Payne, whose outgoing personality belies a shy nature, tells students coming to Carolina to "get immersed" in student organizations.

"Get involved, and find out what is the right fit for you," he said. "Joining different organizations will help you find out who you are and what is right for you."

Payne got immersed all right, and then he rose to the top, becoming president of the student body and assuming other leadership roles on campus. He was a student senator, a member of the Global Business Council and worked with the Student Business Incubator Council.

He also was philanthropy chair for Kappa Sigma fraternity and helped establish the Ray Tanner Foundation, for which he served as vice president.

Payne, a native of Maryland, now is looking forward to crossing other bridges. He is heading to New York, where he hopes to land a job with Smith Barney or CitiGroup.

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