By William H. Kelly III
(JACKSON, Miss.) – Nickholas Davis, 41, is finally graduating from Jackson State University after prematurely ending his collegiate career nearly 20 years ago following the death of his cousin, Raphael Davis.
In 2003, on the JSU campus, a 21-year-old Nickholas received a visit from his cousin, Raphael Davis, a Hinds Community College student and member of the National Guard, that would set off a series of events changing their families forever.
‘I’m about to go. I’m about to go to war,’ Nickholas recalls hearing those words from his cousin during a brief, impromptu meeting informing him that he would be deployed the following day to serve in the Iraq war. This was the last in-person interaction Nickholas and Raphael Davis would share.
“My mind frame at the time was that deploying for war equals death. I was like, ‘Man, do you really have to go?’” asked Nickholas, who vividly remembers sitting in the JSU Heritage Dining Hall at the time. “I was very resistant and hesitant of him leaving.”
One morning, while in his criminal justice class, a JSU Department of Public Safety representative entered the room and encouraged Nickholas to contact his family, leaving a mysterious and somber tone in the air.
Nickholas walked to his vehicle to retrieve his cell phone and was surprised to find a note from his brothers, Octavian and Antonio Davis, also JSU alums, on the windshield asking him to call home as soon as possible.
When he did, Nickholas found out his cousin Raphael Davis had been killed on Dec. 2, 2003, just days before he was scheduled to return home on leave. According to a memorial on MilitaryTimes.com, Raphael Davis was killed when “an improvised explosive device ripped through the Humvee he was driving in convoy in Tampa, Iraq. Passengers in the vehicle survived.”
“My life, and my whole family, took a turn once my cousin died in Iraq. I lost focus on school and wasn’t interested anymore,” said Nickholas. “Physically, I was there, but mentally I wasn’t.”
Growing up, Raphael Davis and Nickholas lived only houses down from each other and were often mistaken for brothers. While Raphael Davis was in Iraq, the two cousins frequently wrote letters about their passions and hobbies.
Nickholas, a criminal justice major, was set to graduate from JSU in the summer of 2004 and was an active member of the student body, serving in the Student Government Association and a member of Alpha Beta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. However, after attending his cousin’s funeral, Nickholas shared he immediately enlisted in the Air Force with hopes of “completing his [cousin’s] mission” and serving in Iraq.
“I went to the Metro [Center] Mall and spoke to the first recruiter on the left-hand side, where we walked in by the food court. It just happened to be the Air Force, and I went and joined,” Nickholas said. “Everybody at Jackson State was like, ‘Dude. You’re dropping out?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m dropping out and going to the military. Hopefully, I go to Iraq.’ And that’s what I joined hoping to do.”
Nickholas said he was filled with emotions while making the decision. His mother strongly disagreed with his choice and told him the same. But, Nickholas was unfazed.
“I felt like his mission wasn’t complete, so I had to finish the mission because he was killed during combat. That was my motivation and what prompted me to do it,” he said.
Nineteen years later, Nickholas has served in Iraq and gained a horde of military, federal government and law enforcement experience. He has worked in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, FBI, DEA, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and now the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division as a special agent. He has also worked the El Chapo trial, stood with former U.S. President Obama as a secret service agent, and helped locate the killer of rapper Young Dolph.
In recent years, the Charlotte, South Carolina, resident began to feel empty about not completing his matriculation at JSU, saying he “did not want the conversation to end there.” He discovered the JSUOnline program from Hilliard L. Lackey, Ph.D., associate professor and coordinator of doctoral student development at JSU.
When Nickholas enrolled in JSUOnline, he learned he only had seven classes to complete his degree in criminal justice. He officially began classes in August 2022, eager to take all seven courses simultaneously. He later became grateful for his academic advisor suggesting only one class to start with.
“I had been away from school for so long and had never done online classes before, so they started me with one class. It was very different for me,” said Nickholas, father of a 6-year-old son Ian Nickholas Davis. “It was definitely a challenge and, plus, it was a learning curve because I had to learn Canvas and navigate the online platform.”
Nickholas said what helped him most with matriculation was the self-discipline he gained from a military background.
“Because the old me was Mister Procrastination in undergrad, I put different challenges in place for myself, which pushed me through. I wanted to excel,” said Nickholas, who received all A’s during his second run at JSU.
Set to continue his online academic journey at Northwestern California University School of Law this fall, Nickholas said he intends to help increase the diversity and presence of Black people who serve as prosecutors.
“I feel like my one-year online experience has prepared me to exceed in my online law school journey that I’m about to embark upon in August,” Nickholas said. “I wouldn’t change how any of this happened. Most people have regrets, but I’ll tell you, if I had stayed at Jackson State and possibly graduated, my career path would not have reached the magnitude that it did today.”
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Media contact: William H. Kelly, III, william.h.kelly@jsums.edu