A Journey of Redemption

Tuscola – Nicholas Herrick grew up in Flint, Michigan.  As he was growing up in Flint, Nicholas knew that he wanted to do something significant with his life.  After Nicholas graduated from high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps.

Nicholas’ military career was successful until he suffered an injury.  During his recovery and rehabilitation, Nicholas became addicted to pain medication. Nicholas explained that his life took a negative turn; he was discharged from the Marines and became homeless.

While homeless, Nicholas started committing crimes to support his addiction. The more his addictions grew, the more crimes he committed. In 2014, Nicholas was charged and sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Being in prison was a wake-up call for Nicholas, and he knew he wanted better for his life. Nicholas stated “My journey of redemption began with signing up for college while in prison. After the first semester, I was hooked! I took 12 credits and retained a perfect 4.0 GPA. This was the boost in confidence I needed. Before I knew it, I was graduating from college (the first in my family) with a perfect 4.0 GPA, 3 degrees, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society member, and Valedictorian of the class of 2019.”

DTE came in and spoke about tree service work around power lines before Nicholas release from prison. Instantly, Nicholas knew that he wanted to be a Tree Trimming Specialist.

Upon his prison release, Nicholas applied at Kappen Tree Service in Cass City, MI. He was accepted into the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 17’s apprenticeship program, and registered with the Department of Labor in June 2021.

Now a T-1 Apprentice for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 17, Nicholas shared, “Others began to see the strides I’d taken in my life, because of that I was able to change my legacy from being a lost cause, junkie loser; to being someone I’m proud to be and sober since January 9th, 2014. These opportunities are out there! If I can come back from the dark place I was in, then there is hope for everyone.”