A native of Kingston, Jamaica, before moving to New Jersey in 2019, Nicholai Williamson is graduating from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics as a entrepreneurship major with a minor in professional selling and sales management.
Williamson was nominated for this series by Adjunct Faculty – Entrepreneurship Ted Foltyn and and Manager, Marketing & Events at Horn Entrepreneurship, Meg Marcozzi, who said, “Nico is the founder of Bonafyde, and will be competing at Texas Christian University’s Values and Ventures Competition. He’s highly engaged as an entrepreneurship major and in the co-curricular venture support programs.”
In this profile, Williamson shares his favorite UD memories, how he has changed during his time at UD and his plans following graduation.
Lerner: How do you think you have changed from your first semester at UD to now?
Williamson: I have become a much more confident and well-rounded leader. The experiences throughout my four years have prepared me for the real world. I have tremendously reduced my imposter syndrome. I now understand ” ME” a lot more and have built a network on how to get to the better version of me that I want to be.
Lerner: What have been some of the challenges you have faced during your college experience and how did you overcome them?
Williamson: Culture shock was a huge challenge my freshman year. I was able to overcome this by joining Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., giving me brothers that made the rest of college worthwhile. I also did extracurriculars that aligned with my interests, such as Entrepreneurship club, Venture On, etc.
Lerner: What was your favorite signature UD experience and why?
Williamson: Homecoming is one of my favorites because it’s a time when everyone comes back and has fun together. For me, homecoming at UD looks like spending the day at the CBC alongside my fraternal brothers, family, friends, and the UD community.
Lerner: Did you have a Lerner professor or staff member that had a big impact on your UD experience?
Williamson:
Vince DiFelice – helped me grow a scalable and repeatable business model from the ground up.
Ted Foltyn – helped me get better at resume and interview readiness.
Laura Gasiorowski – helped me grow a scalable and repeatable business model from the ground up. Help me test concepts.
Garry Johnson III – helped me grow a scalable and repeatable business model from the ground up.
Lerner: What does being a “Lifelong Lerner” mean to you?
Williamson: Being a “Lifelong Lerner” means attaining new perspectives and not allowing what you already know to limit how much more you can learn and develop. It also means having gone through one of the best business colleges and pouring back into future students.
Lerner: What advice would you give to incoming freshmen to make the most out of their college experience?
Williamson: Try new things – this will help you figure out what you like and don’t like. Figure out “You” and the rest of college will come easier.
Lerner: What are your plans following graduation?
Williamson: After graduation I will be the CEO of Bonafyde Official Inc (www.bonafydeofficial.com). Our organization partners with high schools, charter schools, etc, to help empower schoolers to make confident and informed college decisions. I plan to continue to grow and scale the business. We currently have two schools that we will be working with in our pilot program for the 2025-26 school year, serving over 1000 students.