“You don’t have to be special, you just have to take the first step”, Nicolas Gerard said on his recent achievement of creating a super PAC, Devils for Good.
Daniel Spalinger, a longtime friend and colleague of Gerard said, “there is nobody more capable of starting a super PAC than Nic.”
A super PAC is a modern type of political-action committee that is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, individuals and associations to influence the outcome of state and federal elections.
Gerard formed Devils for Good with an an eye toward shaping elections in support of higher education.
Gerard is a junior Global Studies Major at Arizona State University. He was born in France and later moved to Massachusetts to attend high school. But it was not until he moved to Arizona to attend ASU that he realized there needed to be change.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in high school. But when I came (to ASU) and saw all of the passion that the students had towards a better future, I knew something had to be done,” he said.
“Devils for Good was not made to support a particular candidate, but a cause,” Gerard explained.
“If you want to bring change to the world, you shouldn’t sit around and wait for change to happen, you have to take care of it yourself,” he said.
“It is hard to create an entity like a super PAC without passion,” and Gerard sees passion in his fellow Sun Devils.
Gerard said that what is important in the long term is expanding the reach of Devils for Good to all Arizona higher education institutions like Northern Arizona University, University of Arizona, and Grand Canyon University.
Gerard said during his freshman year he was in front of city hall with a group of people protesting the lack of higher education support in Arizona. “I started seeing first hand how much there needed to be change,” Gerard said.
Gerard’s fraternity colony advisor, Andrew Locke, first met him while interviewing to become part of Sigma Pi.
“I have seen many young men with passion in many different colleges, but I have never seen someone as extraordinary as Nic,” Locke said.
Gerard worked on campaigns for both John McCain and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, so he has some experience with politics.
Gerard has aspirations to work in the foreign services, “wherever it may be. But who knows what will change 20 years from now.”
“I respect the process and I know it may take time for Devils for Good to be impactful, but if it does nothing else, at least it may open the dialogue about taking higher education to the next level,” Gerard said.
“All I know is that if I did not have the passion to commit to Devils for Good, 100 percent, then I would not be doing this.”