William "Billy" Nash '92
Right as he was planning a summer of catching waves and hanging out with his friends, William “Billy” Nash ’92 received an opportunity that would change his life from his high school guidance counselor.
NASH WAS ON HIS WAY to graduating from Long Branch High School when he was called into Mr. Stevenson’s office.
When the student admitted he had no firm plans post-graduation, Stevenson suggested he look into ĢƵ’s burgeoning Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program, which helps support motivated students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds gain access to higher education.
The guidance counselor gave him two options: enjoy a summer of leisure and apply to the local community college, or hit the ground running and attend ĢƵ EOF’s comprehensive, five-week Summer Academy two weeks after graduation.
“I accepted his offer and filled out a bunch of paperwork, and about a week or two later, he called me and said, ‘You're in, you just got accepted,’” Nash recounted. “Not in a million years did I think I was going to go to a four-year college right out of school.”
Nash resided on campus in C Court, meeting peers from throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where he learned how to cultivate and maintain an academic mindset.
Talking with the alum, it became clear that the summer academy has remained similar since he was a student – the program offers a combination of academic instruction through credit-bearing classes, personal development, and community building.
“It was an academic bootcamp, but it almost felt like I joined the Army; instead of picking up a gun, I just had to pick up a pencil,” said Nash.
“That program was so important to me, and it changed my life. Without EOF, I would have never gotten into ĢƵ unless I went to Brookdale first, and who knows how that would have worked out,” Nash continued. “ĢƵ EOF really gave me the opportunity to launch into ĢƵ the proper way.”
BY THE TIME HE BEGAN his freshman year, he was already familiar with the campus and surrounded by peers and faculty members who affectionately gave him the nickname “M.C.A.,” a nod to the Beastie Boys rapper of the same name.
“I was a rapper and break dancer in high school,” Nash sheepishly said, revealing that the nickname was even used by the late Vera King Farris when she greeted him in the hallway.
When you get that opportunity, you can't let it go. That's something I think that ĢƵ helped me with. The EOF program was a very pivotal part of my life, and my ĢƵ experience was incredibly important.
While studying and attending classes in the morning and afternoon, Nash earned his real estate license in the evenings and waited tables on the weekends. He loved all of his professors and was engaged in all of his courses, from African-American studies with Professor Emerita Jacqueline Pope to finance and economics with the late Professor Emeritus Kenneth Harrison.
“Ken Harrison was one of my favorites,” Nash reminisced. “I read the Wall Street Journal every day, and I remember him saying, ‘Okay, Mr. Nash, tell us what's going on in the markets,’ just calling me out every class and engaging with me. ĢƵ is a relationship-driven institution.”
In 1992, he graduated and left ĢƵ with a 3.3 GPA, his achievements a far cry from the teenager who wasn’t even thinking about attending college.
THE BUSINESS STUDIES GRADUATE went on to become a private banker in New York, experiencing 20 years of financial busts and booms before deciding to go all in on his dream of exploring the real estate industry. He moved to Florida and became nationally recognized as a luxury real estate broker.
He soon found himself on the set of A Wealth of Entertainment’s television show “Selling Mega Mansions.”
Now, Nash is due to start filming the second season of his own show, “Passport Properties with Billy Nash,” the first season of which is set to premiere in the United States this fall.
While it is easy to be dazzled by the glitz and glamour of luxury homes and properties, Nash’s feet remain planted both on the ground and on what drives him: exploring different cultures, meeting new people and enjoying art and history in his day-to-day.
Having the chance to travel around the world is also a nice perk; at the time of this publication, Nash had just returned from a Forbes Global Properties Conference in Greece where he was a keynote speaker, and anticipated traveling to Portugal, Spain and France for more property brokerage and speaking engagements.
“I bop around a lot,” Nash said. “And the only place I traveled when I went to ĢƵ was from Long Branch to ĢƵ in a $600 car.”
As Nash looks back at his journey post-ĢƵ, he can’t help but return to that fateful day with Mr. Stevenson and how that one conversation had a domino effect on his life and career following high school.
He encourages students to take advantage of the chances they receive to better themselves. “When you get that opportunity, you can't let it go. That's something I think that ĢƵ helped me with. The EOF program was a very pivotal part of my life, and my ĢƵ experience was incredibly important.”
– Story by Loukaia Taylor
