Soft-spoken, kind-hearted, a spirit of excellence, family-oriented, a Christian, a survivor — that is how people describe Nichel Holland-Swindler. With a heart of gold and a quiet elegance, she had remarkable strength of character that always shone through, especially during times of adversity. Nichel possessed a smile and dimples that warmed the hearts of all who were in her presence.  

 

Always a passionate educator, Nichel began her teaching career at Alcorn Middle School. She also taught at Hopkins and Saint Andrews Middle Schools in Richland School District One. Dr. Swindler worked in various capacities throughout the educational system serving as team leader, department chair, vertical articulation facilitator, after-school program site coordinator, adult evening school teacher, and as a school district math lead teacher. 

 

She was a math teacher in Richland One for twelve years and while working in Richland School District One, Nichel was twice selected as Teacher of the Year and recognized as a Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year.  In 2010, she joined the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) School System. As a part of the DoDEA, Dr. Swindler spent the rest of her career dedicated to the pursuit of instructing children and committed to excellence in education. She joined the DoDEA School System as a middle school math teacher at Mahaffey Middle School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The following year, she began serving as an Assistant Principal at Lincoln Elementary School. In 2016, Dr. Swindler moved to the new elementary school at Fort Campbell. At the time of her passing, she was the Assistant Principal at Barsanti Elementary School at Fort Campbell.

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When she was not at school, Nichel loved reading, spending time with family, and as an avid puzzle solver, working everything from crosswords to Suduko and oversized jigsaw puzzles. Nichel was a proud Gamecock who loved watching them play football, basketball and baseball.  Always wanting to be in the presence of the Lord, Nichel was a dedicated member of Bible Way Church of Atlas Road in Columbia, South Carolina, maintaining her status even when she moved to Kentucky. She regularly attended Cedar Grove Baptist Church in Hopkinsville and was a devoted woman of God, who lived a life full of unwavering faith.  It was this unwavering faith that helped her work through her diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.  

 

Nichel was adamant that her treatment would not stop her from living her life and continuing to educate children.  She continued to work, even while doing chemotherapy and recovering from surgery, never letting her smile or her faith waver.  It is that strength of character and drive to succeed that led to the creation of the Nichel Holland Swindler Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships to the children of breast cancer survivors.