Nicholas “Nick” Ostheimer didn’t win Best Student Activist by being the loudest voice in the room. He won by being the one who keeps organizing after the crowd goes home, stacking wins that are hard to ignore and even harder to replicate.
A Florida Atlantic University senior majoring in Political Science and Government, Ostheimer’s résumé reads like a highlight reel that starts early and never really slows down. From his years at A.D. Henderson and FAU High School, where he dual-enrolled at FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, to his current work on campus, his activism has been built on the same core skills: persuasion, strategy, and follow-through.
Before he was rallying students in Boca, he was dominating the speech and debate world. In high school, Ostheimer helped lead his team to NSDA Charter Chapter status, served on the inaugural NSDA Student Leadership Council, and climbed as high as No. 1 in the nation across all speech and debate events.
Then he scaled that passion into something massive. As the founding Executive Director of Equality in Forensics, Ostheimer grew the organization from a group of four students with a mission into the nation’s largest student-run speech and debate organization. The numbers speak for themselves: over 800 volunteers, operations spanning 25 states plus Canada and Mexico, more than 17,000 students reached, 13,000+ hours of free coaching delivered, and a conservative estimate of $508,540 saved for debaters. On top of that, the organization has produced $400,000 worth of resources and built a model focused on one simple idea: speech and debate for all. Today, he continues giving back as Chair of the Board of Directors, advising the Executive Board, and helping guide the organization forward.
At FAU, Ostheimer has revitalized the College Democrats, led voter registration efforts, partnered with People Power FL and ACLU FL, and helped drive turnout in precincts overlapping with campus to more than 100% during the November 2024 election. He has also been a visible leader in protests against FAU’s 287(g) agreement with ICE and against the selection of President Adam Hasner.
More recently, he was elected to FAU Student Government’s Boca House of Representatives, serving on the Campus Action Committee and bringing student concerns directly to the table.
Ostheimer’s activism isn’t a moment. It’s a system, and it’s working.
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