GGU Couple Shares Love, Work, and Business School

Shared experiences can bind couples together, and for Nicole and Jordan Bosworth, that includes being students at GGU.

As classmates in the MS Leadership program online, the couple are gaining new insights into each other as students and what drives them as people.

“Nicole and I enjoy different hobbies,” said Jordan. “I’m a sports guy, and she plays the guitar. But at GGU we’re learning that we’re both passionate about leading people ethically and building others up, as people have done for us.”

Collegiate Romance

It’s fitting for Nicole and Jordan to share an academic setting. They first met in 2014 at Toccoa Falls College—a private, Christian liberal arts school—when Nicole, 18, was an incoming freshman and Jordan, 19, was a sophomore on the Resident Assistant staff. Affable and outgoing, Jordan got to know most students on the small campus nestled in Northeast Georgia’s foothills. As Nicole glimpsed Jordan at the campus café, she became curious about him. But when Jordan started seeing other people, Nicole put him out of her mind.

The following summer, they both signed up to be RAs for the upcoming year and, coincidentally, were hired to work in the Office of Admissions.

“Jordan reached out to me that summer and we connected over Snapchat,” said Nicole, with a laugh. “It was a fun summer of getting to know each other.”

When Jordan and Nicole returned to campus that fall, their romance blossomed.

“Because we both worked in Admissions and Residence Life—the most visible jobs on campus—people referred to us as a power couple on campus as a joke,” Nicole reminisced.

Three years later, in May 2018, Jordan and Nicole tied the knot.

Jordan and Nicole Bosworth

New Beginnings

Shortly after graduation, Nicole was hired as an Area Coordinator for Student Affairs at King University in Bristol, Tennessee. The couple relocated to Bristol and before long, Jordan accepted a position as an Undergraduate Enrollment Counselor at King.

“We both loved working with students at Toccoa and if there was an opportunity to keep that going we wanted to take it,” said Jordan.

In Spring 2019, Nicole became interested in the MS Leadership program at GGU. At King, she oversees 24 RAs and manages campus housing health and safety, and she wanted to advance her skills. Once she enrolled at GGU and began taking online classes, Jordan decided to join her.

“I knew I wanted a leadership degree. I thought it would be beneficial to do the program not just because she was doing it but because I could learn from what she had been learning and work with the same professors that had helped her,” he said.

MS Leadership

This semester, Jordan and Nicole are both enrolled in Leading Complex Change taught by Associate Professor Marcia Ruben, PhD, Program Director of MS Leadership. Being in the same class allows them to challenge each other’s thinking and explore how they can apply their coursework to their real lives.

“Plus,” added Nicole, “there have been nights when Jordan reads the articles out loud to me on the couch, which is so nice because sitting down to read a 15-page article is something I struggle with.”

However, Nicole and Jordan have set boundaries. Jordan won’t discuss assignments until they both have completed them.

“I don’t want there to be any chance of being influenced by her thinking before I’ve completed my own assignment,” Jordan explained.

Mostly, they enjoy being in school together.

“Watching Jordan go through a Master’s program, I’m learning more about my husband—how he thinks, remembers, and processes information,” Nicole observed.

Business Development

In the Teamwork in Organizations class, Nicole learned how to run meetings, set expectations, conduct interviews, and build a team—all skills she uses in her role at work. In classes they’ve taken separately, Nicole and Jordan have been challenged by the curriculum that has introduced them to new business paradigms.

“In the Management and Leadership course I had to stretch myself, and the amazing team of classmates helped ease the pressure,” said Jordan. “The small groups I’ve worked with on assignments via Zoom included people from all over the world. If I needed help or had a question, they were always there for me.”

In the Personal Leadership course, Nicole discovered that she wants to lead others through writing, public speaking, and perhaps one day marriage coaching. Jordan plans to use his leadership training to become a college pastor, the culmination of a life-long faith journey.

“We both want to be a stepping stone for RAs, college students, and other young people,” related Jordan. “Helping others develop is a passion we express through work and school. It’s ingrained in just about every part of our life together.”