<p>SPRING HILL — Nicholas Herrud grew up in Spring Hill and was the first in his family to attend college. He started at Columbia State Community College in 2017 as a Tennessee Promise student, and today he is a Fulbright scholar pursuing doctoral work at Notre Dame with research taking him to Eastern Europe. His story, shared by Columbia State last fall, is a quiet reminder of what happens when a community invests in its young people.</p><p>Herrud credited Columbia State professors — particularly retired English professor Dr. James Senefeld and Dr. Barry Gidcomb, dean of Humanities and Social Sciences — with shaping both his academic path and his understanding of what serious learning requires. He said the personal connections available in a smaller college environment made the difference, teaching him that you only get out of something what you put into it. Dr. Gidcomb said he and Senefeld have followed Herrud's career closely and are excited about the trajectory he is on.</p><p>Herrud's journey — from Hampshire Pike to Notre Dame to Eastern Europe — is the kind of story that doesn't make national headlines but matters deeply to the people who know this county. Read the full profile at <a href='http://www.ColumbiaState.edu/news/details/2025/09/alumnus-and-fulbright-scholar-reflects-on-journey.html'>ColumbiaState.edu</a>.</p>