With 27 years in the high school journalism classroom, Nichols advises Whitney High Student Media (Details yearbook, The Roar newsmagazine and Whitney Update news website) in California, where her students have earned top honors such as NSPA Pacemakers and CSPA Crown awards. Nichols is active as a board member for the Journalism Education Association of Northern California and the California Press Foundation, and previously she served six years as president of the Journalism Education Association. She is certified as a Master Journalism Educator and serves on JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights, Certification and Digital Media committees. Nichols has been honored with JEA’s Carl Towley Award, Medal of Merit and National Yearbook Adviser of the Year Award as well as the NSPA Pioneer Award and CSPA Gold Key. Her published works include a yearbook adviser curriculum for Jostens Publishing and the NSPA Yearbook Guidebook. She also teaches Advising Yearbook, a graduate course for the Center for Scholastic Journalism’s online masters program at Kent State University.