Nick Milotta

Learn to Love Nick

Talk about an amazing man! Nick has been a Dearing Student since September 2019, but it feels like he's been here forever. His testimony is so touching. We believe Nick fits in so well because of his strong love for others. Our team preaches that love is at the center of everything we do, and we hope that our students pass that value on in their lives. Nick came searching for an acting class to bring him out of his shell, and he has found a community that feels like family to him.

A Military Life

Nick served in the military and enlisted just before 9/11. Luckily he was assigned as a weapons technician at Luke air force base. This kept him out of the danger zone at this crazy point in history. Nick opens up about the loss of his childhood friend Isaak, who enlisted in the army at the same time and never made it back. He then Nick then talks about the next step after coming out of the military. He shares the struggle of trying to find a job and carve a path for himself when the skills he had learned weren't applicable in the normal world. His philosophy, which we love so much, was to push forward even at this extremely difficult part of his life. He finally landed a job at an engineering firm, fixing cell towers. Funny enough, he was scared of heights before he took this job. He knew this was what was best for him deep inside, so he pushed through. Nick shared the idea of climbing to the top of the tower and what that means to him. Matt loved this idea, and he applies it to everyone's life. Every person has fears that they have to overcome, and for Nick, this was a huge step in the right direction.

Okay... Heres the Philosophical part

Nick has an amazing relationship with his mother. They moved to Arizona together, and she found out she had cancer just before the move. She fought for five years and passed away in 2015. Nick talks about this being the first time he truly felt unconditional love. He felt as though his bond with his mother was just as strong after her passing as it was before. Matt stresses the meaning of our values, "Passion. Love. Mastery." Love is at the center of everything we do, thats why it's the middle value. Matt believes that god aligns in this way because in his opinion god is love. This unconditional love that Nick had for his mother that transcends life is unique and powerful. Matt then compares how every day is Christmas to him. Tomorrow is a wonderful day to be alive, and it's something to be grateful for. Matt talks about the importance of living every day to the fullest. Nick then shares about his struggle about trying to make every day positive before he found our studio. He says the positive energy in our classroom inspired him to question why he doesn't feel that way every day and seek ways to fix it.