My Carolina Experience: Nick Weiler
October 21, 2015 | Football
My Carolina Experience: Nick Weiler
By Zoya Johnson, GoHeels.com
In a world driven by the lifestyles we think others live, and the instant gratification we have been programmed to expect, it can be easy to forget the actual standard it takes to achieve your dreams. For a moment in his freshmen year, that is exactly what happened to Nick Weiler.
“I lost football for the season, and I almost lost UNC entirely because of a foolish decision. That experience made my appreciation for Carolina and its opportunities even stronger than before. It made me a better man.”
The Virginia native walked on to Carolina's football team as a punter and kicker in 2012 with goals of receiving a great education and making a difference in the community. “My secondary goal was to play football for four years. During my time away from football, Carolina Athletics and the Chapel Hill community provided me with community service opportunities. I started becoming involved with UNC Hospitals, the Charles House, and New Hope Elementary School, and it opened a whole new side of life for me.
“I truly enjoyed spending time with the families at the Hospital, the senior citizens at The Charles House, as well as with the children of New Hope Elementary School, and I realized what a real impact spending time with these people had on the their daily lives.
“Former women's lacrosse player Zoe Skinner started a pen pal program with Ms. Honeycutt, the teacher with whom I volunteer at New Hope, and I have continued to run the program since Zoe's graduation. We have 100 plus student-athletes writing back and forth to the students at the elementary school and it's been amazing to see the growth at both ends of the spectrum.”
Weiler's desire to be a part of uplifting the community has since expanded from being a key outreach leader to becoming a CREED Mentor for the past two years to student-athletes in the first level of the Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy. Additionally, he has found time to mentor fifth graders at Northside Elementary School in the Tar Heel Navigators program, which also teaches leadership. Having graduated from the CREED mentoring program, Weiler continues to mentor students at New Hope and has become a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative for the football team.
Even with all of his time volunteering in the community and improving on the football field, Weiler has made it a point to excel in the classroom and has made the Dean's list four times.
“I'm majoring in business administration with a minor in the Philosophy, Politics and Economics program. I'm in my third semester in the Kenan-Flagler Business School and have learned so much. I've always been interested in business and love competing with Carolina's brightest while learning from great professors. My areas of interest are consulting and sales, but I hope to run my own company someday.”
Now in his redshirt junior year, Weiler is Carolina's #1 placekicker in addition to handling kickoffs. He finished the 2014 regular season with 50 points, the second most on the team behind starting quarterback Marquise Williams. He was also one of the ACC's most effective kickoff specialists in 2014 with nearly 60 percent of his kickoff attempts going for touchbacks. By the end of last season Weiler was ranked second nationally in average length of kickoff at 64.11 yards and his touchback percentage was also among the top 20 in the nation.
Reflecting on his time thus far at UNC, Weiler says, “Carolina and the city of Chapel Hill will leave me with a great education, life-long friendships and experiences that will enable me to succeed for the rest of my life. My experience has taught me that you have to make every day count.
“I believe UNC athletics has always been the land of opportunity for elite athletes who are looking to receive some of the best education in the country. Now, more and more, we see UNC athletics and the university working to address the challenges of balancing the life of a student-athlete. It is hard work for any student to do all that is needed to learn and perform well in classes. When you throw in workouts, practices, games and travel that becomes even harder.
“The athletic department has always been extremely supportive of the student-athletes here and I have been extremely fortunate to experience teachers and classmates who are warm and welcoming, and who help me to keep everything in perspective.
“The Chapel Hill community helps keep balance in my life, it is because of this that I believe every student, should take the time to make a difference in somebody else's life. Get involved in various school and community activities, study well for your classes, enjoy your free time, and use good judgment at all times. Chapel Hill is phenomenal, everything you could ever want or need is here for the student who embraces it. Go HEELS!”
