When Nicole Barone moved to Ferndale as a ninth grader in the fall of 2000, she initially didn’t have any plans to attend college after high school. Fast forward 23 years, and Barone is working to make one of the world’s most prestigious universities, Harvard, more accessible to everyone through online education. 

“Seeing the doors that higher education has opened for me really drives my passion to increase access for others,” she said. 

Barone currently serves as the Associate Director of Online Master’s Education for the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She oversees 178 students from around the globe who are enrolled in Harvard’s education leadership master’s program remotely, ensuring that they receive the same quality Ivy League education as folks learning on campus in Massachusetts.  

“Our goal is to make sure our students feel like Harvard students, that they don’t feel excluded in any way,” she said. “I spend a good amount of time working for us to have adequate resources for our students that are parallel to what our in-person students receive.” 

Harvard is relatively new to the world of online education. Barone says her education leadership master’s program, which launched in 2022, is only the university’s third to go remote. 

Barone, who was a first generation college student, said she values making higher education within reach for more people through online classes. Many of her students have existing jobs and families and can’t easily pack up their lives and move to Boston, she said. 

“It’s important that Harvard has these online opportunities; it opens up access to the institution for people who couldn’t access it before,” Barone said. 

Barone, who graduated from Ferndale High School in 2004, credits her decision to attend college to her “pivotal” guidance counselor Susan Wood. 

“She said, ‘You should at least apply to Western Washington, see if you get in,’” Barone said. “That was probably the single best decision I ever made.” 

Barone’s first experience working in higher education was during her time studying at Western – she worked in WWU’s scholarship center, advising students on scholarships and answering financial aid questions. After graduation and a brief stint teaching in France, she returned to the Northwest to work at the University of Washington as a student affairs program assistant for UW’s physician assistant program and K-12 leadership program. 

While working at UW, Barone earned her master’s degree in higher education administration. She realized that in order to keep advancing in the world of higher education, she’d need a PhD, so she attended Boston College to continue that pursuit. Barone received her doctorate in higher education in 2021, and soon began her career at Harvard. 

When studying at Ferndale High School in the early aughts, Barone worked 20 hours a week at the McDonald’s on Main Street. She said the job helped instill a strong work ethic and taught her the importance of time management. 

“I had to structure my course schedule so I could work in the evenings,” Barone said. “During my junior and senior year, I would have a study hall and try and do my homework so I could work at night and not have to stay up late afterwards.” 

Two teachers that really stood out to Barone at FHS were her theatre arts teacher Gudlaug Hawkinson – “She was really warm, open, and friendly” – and Spanish teacher Melissa Monda. 

“I developed an interest in international education, and I think starting Spanish in high school helped develop that interest in other cultures, languages, and travel,” she said. 

In her spare time, Barone enjoys reading and traveling with her husband, fellow FHS grad Garrett Robbins.