Nicholas Fortin doesn’t take “no” for an answer. Or polite excuses. Or unacceptable explanations for not being able to meet in person.
Call it a gift. Or a curse.
Or, as I believe, call it an essential lesson for all the high school and college graduates who’ll soon be sitting through forgetful commencement speeches.
With his persistence and perseverance skills, Nicholas should be a politician when he grows up. Or a journalist. Truth is, he wants to be both someday. I wouldn’t bet against him.
The 17-year-old Discovery Charter School student from Chesterton contacted me months ago, prompted by a suggestion from a former colleague of mine.
“You really should meet this kid,” that colleague told me.
I routinely hear similar suggestions from readers, sources and social media followers about teenagers I should meet for one reason or another. I’m unable to follow up on most of them. Not enough time, not enough column space, not enough interest, to be honest.
I first learned about Nicholas through a Facebook post by Porter County Council member Andy Bozak, who also posed for a photo with the camera-friendly teen. I then saw another Facebook post and photo with another public office holder, Portage City Council member Collin Czilli.
“Nicholas is fantastic,” recalled Czilli, who started his political career at an early age.
Czilli told me that Nicholas gave him the “toughest interview” since being in office.
“He took the time to research myself, and he asked questions I have never been asked before,” Czilli said. “After he interviewed me, which took over an hour and a half, he continued to send me questions on Facebook. I gladly answered. Since he interviewed me, I have seen him at countless public events doing the same to others.”
Nicholas has, indeed.
To date, he has interviewed Porter County Council members Sylvia Graham, Jeremy Rivas and Jeff Larson; Porter County Commissioner Jim Biggs; U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky; Chesterton Town Council member Nate Cobbs; Lake County Commissioner Michael Repay; and Valparaiso City Council member Robert Cotton.
“I was flattered to respond with an emphatic ‘yes’ to an interview request from Nicholas,” Cotton wrote on his social media pages. “He is a delightful and politically ambitious student. I must admit to not being able to answer all of his questions, but I felt really good about the comprehensive scope of issues he chose to delve into.”
Nicholas, not surprisingly, is a member of his school’s newspaper club.
“I have been so happy to have Nicholas participate,” said Linda Simon, a school board member who oversees that club. “We started two years ago, for kids in grades fifth through eighth.”
Nicholas joined the club in fifth grade.
“I remember his first article was just two sentences long,” said Simon, a co-founder of the charter school. “He has grown so much and is truly excited to write about politics.”
In sixth grade, Nicholas wanted to run a mock primary election at his school.
“I helped him do that, and he reported on the results,” Simon said. “He is truly passionate about writing about politics. He wrote a blurb about a lot of the local primary candidates for the school paper. And he has written about politics, usually interviews, in every issue since.”
When I finally met with Nicholas (he was determined to do so), we met at the Chesterton Public Library. His father, Steve Fortin, drove him there.
“You made it,” Nicholas told me, unable to sit still.
Nicholas shows the same enthusiasm for every meeting with anyone on his list. It’s a long list, starting with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Yes, that Bernie Sanders, who initially inspired Nicholas to get involved in the political scene during Sanders’ presidential run in the 2016 primary.
Nicholas has tried contacting Sanders, with no luck. Yet. I’m serious. I wouldn’t be surprised to someday see a photo of the two of them, smiling and shaking hands.
Nicholas is relentless when it comes to meeting people on his list. On the day we met, I asked him who else, besides Sanders, he would like to meet. He knew instantly.
“Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott,” Nicholas blurted out.
That night, I connected him with McDermott via email. The mayor replied to Nicholas that same night, inviting him to City Hall for a face-to-face meeting.
Like I said, Nicholas’ tenacity is something that today’s high school and college graduates can learn from as they open new chapters in their life.
Doors will be closed on their face. Calls and emails will not be returned. Job rejections are inevitable. They’ll need Nicholas-like determination.
Nicholas, of course, is too young to be a commencement speaker, but not too young to be an example to other students who may lack such doggedness.
Maybe it’s his God-given resolve. Maybe it’s his age or looks. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s his personal delivery. Watch a video of Nicholas in his own words at www.post-trib.com/opinion.
After watching it, maybe you’ll want to meet him.
Mother’s Day preview
My Mother’s Day column will introduce readers to a group of seven local women who’ve been meeting monthly for six years. Originally it was to celebrate their birthdays and update their lives, but eventually to dine at restaurants across Northwest Indiana and write reviews on their meals and service, based on their ethnic backgrounds.
One of the women, Liz Moses Culp, will be a guest on my “Casual Fridays” radio show, giving listeners a sneak peek at the restaurants they’ve reviewed through the years.
Also on this week’s show will be Robert Sirko, the longtime professor of art at Valparaiso University who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. I recently wrote about his “cancer drawings,” which attracted a lot of reader feedback.
Tune in noon Friday at WLPR-FM 89.1, streaming at www.lakeshorepublicradio.org/programs/casual-fridays-jerry-davich-and-karen-walker. Call in with questions or comments at 219-769-9577.
Twitter@jdavich
