Category: Emerging Leader
Nicole D. Oxendine
Dance Teacher / Dance Therapist
Hillside High School
Durham, NC
SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE (SM): Describe what makes you a successful
leader in the category for which you were honored?
Nicole D. Oxendine (NDO): My passion.
SM: Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader?
Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact
your life?
NDO: My mom Pam Oxendine, she raised me to be a leader. She is a phenomenal
woman who taught me elegance and grace. The person, who has had the most
impact on my ability to lead, is W. Clay Hamner. He is an entrepreneur and
professor, he taught at both Duke University and the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill. Not only was he my employer, he and his family became my family.
Through Clay, I learned how to effectively put together a business plan and
correspond with investors. I was inspired by his lectures and the impact he had
on his students. Mr. Hamner was very supportive when I decided to return to
school, and pursue my certification in education.
SM: What problem or condition in your respective field do you want to solve or improve?
NDO: Access to quality dance instruction for Black children and recognition of the arts
as a viable career option.
SM: What legacy will you like to leave behind?
NDO: The legacy I would leave behind is my passion for teaching and as an advocate
for women of color. Overall I want to make an impact in my community.
www.spectacularmag.com | November 2014 | SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE
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