We had a monthly/fun newsletter for the Citigroup LAFC. I had the fun pleasure of interviewing Nicole for the October, 2003 issue. Here is her interview, please enjoy!
Getting To Know…..Nicole Kimber:
Well the suspense is over, California has won a Governor named Arnold and the LAFC has won a charming, funny LDA named Nicole Kimber. And just to clarify, the funniest, smartest California Girl! Miss Nicole was born and raised in Ventura, California where she attended Elementary and High School. Opting to live on the “other coast”, Nicole graduated with a BBA in Marketing and BA in Computer Information Systems from St. Thomas University in Miami, FL. Nicole also has her MBA with a concentration in Finance from Rollins College in Orlando, FL. Nicole applied for a Citigroup LDA position through the career center at Rollins and was promptly contacted (without warning) the day of her graduation, landing an interview on the spot. Her first LDA rotation was in the CRS (Corporate Realty Services) area in Building A. Nicole believes that success should be the outcome of working towards something that is good, not towards something that simply stands a chance to succeed.
And Now….Kimber Trivia: Nicole’s favorite flavor of ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip (without the chips) – that sounds tricky! Her favorite movie is anything that makes her laugh. Favorite vacation spot is anywhere in the Greek Islands. Favorite spot outside of work is the beach and favorite music is Alternative.
If Stranded On A Desert Island, Nicole would want….. a surfboard, a volleyball & her best friend.
Extra Kimber Trivia: If Nicole could have any job in the world she would want to be the Governor of California – and oh would there be lots of work to do!
Nicole was great fun. Heaven has inherited a fun, happy and positive angel!
Nicole was my friend that's in EVERY story you tell about your childhood. The friend that you had the most fun with. . . and remember getting in the most (harmless) trouble with. Nicole was an awesome friend. She was smartest in our class & a top notch athlete. We were on the same basketball & volleyball teams, in all the same classes, and spent every waking moment we were allowed to together. I wanted to be like her and of course do everything she did. Here's the story I always tell about how Nicole and I went from being "just" friends to "best" friends in the 5th grade:
Nicole took me toilet papering houses with her for my first time. When she told me to "RUN" because someone was coming, I tripped on a fire hydrant outside her house and broke my arm. She piggy-backed me all the way back to her house. . . uphill (on Adirondack in Ventura), no joke! While we waited for my mom to pick me up, Nicole taught me how to prank call. This was long before caller i.d. She called all the restaurants in town telling them the New Kids on the Block were coming, they needed reservations, and a back entrance. I couldn't do it without laughing hysterically into the phone . . . Nicole was so cool. :)
The stories I could tell about Nikki are endless and we would laugh for hours at our numerous slumber parties. I can still tell you in order who she wanted to be her boyfriend first all the way through #10. My favorite color is purple because of Nicole, I went to private high school with Nicole just because she moved to the next city over and we couldn't go to the same public school together anymore. I know how to "horse" laugh because Nicole taught me. I'm still not as good at it as she was, but I'm getting there. :) I was allowed to go the beach or the mall "alone" because Nicole was going. She was there for all those "other" moments I remember too - the 1st time I ditched a class she wrote my excuse note, the first time I had a beer she tried it with me, I threw a party at my parents & she helped me lock my little sisters upstairs so they wouldn't tell, and when I got my license & took the car to go get her first.
I still have every birthday card and note Nicole ever wrote me growing up. She never missed a chance to tell me how much she loved me and appreciated our friendship. Later she would be one of only 4 friends I invited to my private little beach wedding. She flew in from some other country and left work early to be there. Nicole was my go-to girl. The thing I loved the most her was that there wasn't a mean bone in her body. She was so positive, uplifting, encouraging, & supportive of everyone else around her. I could pick her laugh out of a crowded room anywhere in the world.
Nicole will always hold a special place in my heart. Rest in peace dear, sweet friend.
I met Nikki at bookclub and was immediately drawn to her quiet, thoughtful, optimistic/happy outlook. I immediately recognized her to be someone who thought deeply about life and had convictions about what was most important. She valued love. She valued genuinely connecting with people as opposed to just filling space and time with "chit chat." It was more important to her to have a few good friends than thirty acquaintances. I enjoyed hiking with her because we could talk (and hike) for 2.5 hours and feel more energized when the hike was over just because it was so much fun to be around her. I felt like I had found one of those rare "soul sister" connections with Nikki. The kind of connection where you feel that you completely get someone and feel like you have always known them because knowing them is like knowing yourself. I was so excited to have found her!
Then she told me she was sick. I couldn't believe it because I actually had asked her for tips on how to get her glowy skin. She looked like a picture of youth, health, vitality, and a bright future....just a beautiful person inside and out. I had inserted myself in that picture of having a future getting to know her better, becoming better friends, double dates, cabin weekend trips to the lake, couples tennis matches. All the things we talked about doing together. All the things we planned to do....
Her life was too short and I cry just thinking about it. Perhaps the thing that hurts so is knowing all the things she wanted to do and that she wasn't able to. Because not only did she have a future hope as it pertains to our friendship, she had a future hope with Jake, and a future hope with many others. I miss the memories we shared (talking over hummus and veggies for FOUR hours at Cafe Nola), shopping at the outlet stores, bookclub, hiking, but I ache for what will never be. The things we didn't yet get to do together. Because I so wasn't ready to say goodbye.
