By Dalton Lee, Baldwin Wallace ’11

The month of May has come to represent and celebrate a variety of things: the first true feeling of Spring, the ending of the school year, holidays such as Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In addition to these celebrations, May is also National Foster Care Month. This initiative by the Children’s Bureau takes the time to acknowledge foster parents, family members, volunteers, mentors, policymakers, child welfare professionals, and all other members of the community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes. We were fortunate enough to sit down with Nicholas Marshall, Louisville ’05, to discuss his experience in foster care, as a member of Phi Kappa Tau, and amid an Indiana State Senate campaign.

Marshall had been in the foster care system since he was an infant, and later recommitted when he turned eighteen, making him in state’s care for over twenty years. Throughout his adolescence, Marshall was fortunate enough to have foster parents who instilled upon him a desire to give back to the community. Unlike many in foster care, Marshall was provided the opportunity to pursue an education by recommitting to state care. Arriving on Louisville’s campus, Marshall’s desire to give back to his new community went above and beyond the average student. Within Phi Tau, Marshall served as Rush Chair, Sargeant in Arms for two years, and finally served one term as Vice President. His service to the fraternity earned him the title of Most Outstanding Brother before becoming a graduate member. In addition to his many fraternal positions, Marshall was on the orientation staff for the University of Louisville; served as the cardinal bird mascot, getting to travel with teams and attend the cheerleading national championships; did a two-year research study for the state of Kentucky; and volunteered with programs for at-risk youth. Despite Marshall’s staggering resume and clear, natural proclivity for service and leadership, it was his biological brother who inspired him to pursue a seat in the Indiana State Senate. At an event for Kentucky Foster Care and Adoption Services, Marshall was given the honor of being the keynote speaker. Following the speech, his brother made him take a moment and observe the impact Marshall’s speech had on the audience filled with powerful and influential members of the Kentucky community.

Marshall’s campaign is focused on impacting “Everyday Hoosiers,” who are all too often put on the back burner of policy making. Inspired by a foster parent who was a teacher, Marshall wants to ensure that educators in Indiana no longer have to leave the state to receive appropriate pay, benefits, and resources. Along with his focus on the educational system, Marshall hopes to alleviate the need for parents to have multiple jobs just to support their family—achieving what he describes as Economic Mobility. Drawing upon his own experience, the last of his primary goals, if elected, is to be a champion of those in foster care throughout the state of Indiana. With roughly ten to twelve thousand children currently in the Indiana foster care system, this issue is becoming more relevant than ever—exacerbated by the deficiency in resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

*Marshall, his wife, Melonie, and their two children.*

Outside of his current campaign, Marshall works at the Republic Bank and Trust, serves on the Board of Directors Coalition Support Young Adults, serves on both the Associate Board and Board of Directors for Nativity Academy of St. Boniface Middle School, volunteers at The Cabbage Patch Settlement House, serves on advisory board council for the Home of Innocents, and worked in the past with the One Love Louisville Implementation Team with Metro Government to reduce violence in our community. Marshall and his wife, Melonie, have been married for six years and have two children, Sebastian and Evelyn.

For more information regarding Nicholas Marshall’s campaign, click the link here.