SPRING HILL — Nicholas Herrud's path from Maury County to a doctoral program in Eastern European history at Notre Dame shows what happens when a first-generation college student finds the right institution at the right moment in his life.
Herrud, a Spring Hill native, graduated from Columbia State Community College in 2017 as a Tennessee Promise scholar with an Associate of Science degree in university parallel studies. Like many first-generation college students, the transition from high school to higher education required learning a new approach to study and engagement. Herrud credits Columbia State faculty, including retired English professor James Senefeld and history professor Barry Gidcomb, with showing him that genuine learning requires more than earning good grades, it requires showing up fully and taking advantage of personal connections with professors and the community around you.
That foundation proved essential as Herrud's academic interests shifted. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in history from Austin Peay State University in 2020, then pursued a master's degree in Polish Studies from Jagiellonian University in Krakow from 2020 to 2023, where he became fluent in Polish. He applied to doctoral programs in 2023 and was selected for one of only ten spots among 250 applicants at Notre Dame, a moment he described as deeply emotional after a five-month wait for word.
Now in his third year of doctoral studies, Herrud was named a finalist for the 2025-26 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, an honor that gave him the opportunity to study abroad. He is now researching twentieth-century Eastern European history and border interaction at Vilnius University in Lithuania's capital. His focus is the period between the two world wars, examining the complex history of borders and peoples in a region that shaped modern Europe.
"Success is not a path you walk alone," Herrud reflected on his journey. For Maury County students, his story is a reminder that community college can be a genuine launching point for ambition, and that teachers who care make the difference between marking time and finding your true direction.