Success Stories
Nico Castellanos
Walking into the KOOP radio station, most notable is the temporary furniture, paint cans, construction tools and a bit of dust. But, the studio is up and broadcasting and that's what really matters says Nicolas-Oscar (“Nico”) Castellanos, the station's development director. Welcoming and positive, Nico immediately begins a tour and explains the status of the surroundings. “A couple of months ago a fire destroyed our previous building and everything in it, so we are rebuilding.”
This rebuilding effort is not the only one Nico has had to take on recently. He is also a Hurricane Katrina survivor. But, rather than succumbing to the difficult circumstances of surviving the natural disaster – being far from home and out of work - Nico has persevered.
Raised in New Orleans, he headed to Austin where he had a friend who was more than willing to help. “It took just a few hours to shake up my life,” he said. “I arrived with literally just the clothes on my back,” Nico explains. “Of course it was a traumatic experience but I took my skills and began moving forward,” he said. “I am good with information gathering and researched social services in Austin and found Goodwill.”
He attended Goodwill's job fair and received help with seeking out leads and connections. “Goodwill and Rick (Morley, Nico's placement specialist at Goodwill) helped me tap into the resources I needed to stabilize my life and find a job. I am thankful to Goodwill and honored a national agency wants to give me an award,” said Nico.
By the end of September 2005 Nico quickly found a “home” at the University of Texas at Austin, working at the Perry-Castaneda Library. He earned a graduate student position at the School of Information in 2006, producing oral histories with local dignitaries such as Herbert Hubbard and Katherine Pool, while working on a Master of Science graduate degree.
Even though he's very busy studying and working, New Orleans is still very much a part of Nico's life. He says simply, “I was just there and plan to go again this weekend,” he says. “I go to help out my friends.”
Note: KOOP is a community radio station owned and operated by its members. Any member of the community can apply to produce a radio program, and KOOP provides facilities and training. KOOP has about 60 different locally-produced programs