Nick Kennedy ’27 is making quite a splash at CMC.
In his roles as captain of the CMS men’s water polo team, a peer educator in chemistry, and an ASCMC senator, Kennedy’s supply of warmth and encouragement never runs short, making him a reliable anchor and uplifting presence on campus.
“I’d like to think of myself as a leader in the community, giving off and bringing positivity to everyone around me,” he said. “CMC can be an intense school—and I’ve found it goes a long way when you're having a tough day and someone you know, or even an acquaintance, gives you a smile and a conversation.”
It is this ability to lift people up—along with his incredible performance in the pool—that helped earn Kennedy his teammates’ vote to become the 2025-26 captain of the water polo team, on which he’s played since his first year at CMC when they won the USA Water Polo Division III National Championship. Kennedy, who was voted SCIAC Newcomer of the Year that year, led the team in combined goals and assists to take the Stags all the way to their first national title in program history. “It was amazing,” he said of the big win (a feat they will try to duplicate at the CMC-hosted National Championship this weekend).
Remarking on how much he’s changed at CMC—“100 percent. In so many ways.”—Kennedy includes the shift from team member to leader as among the most significant.
“Before becoming captain, I was more focused on myself as an individual. Now, as captain, rather than so much emphasis on my own play, my own mentality, I focus on team cohesiveness,” said Kennedy, who scored at least one goal in every regular season game this year and was recently named SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s coaches.
Kennedy’s commitment to cohesion extends beyond athletics to the broader campus community, prompting him to serve as an ASCMC senator and on the College’s former Social Life Working Group. With the latter, he and fellow members met with College leadership to “collaborate on issues that would help general cohesiveness in our community … and it was very rewarding.”
Kennedy once counted how many people he knew among those he passed on a walk across campus. The result? Significant enough to underscore his appreciation for CMC.
“I consider that a big moment because it made me realize just how unique the CMC experience is,” he said. “With the small school, and almost everyone living on campus, you truly get to know most of the student population. It is so special.”
A Science Management major with a focus in Biotechnology, Kennedy is considering a business-related career in biotechnology or pharmaceuticals. He has served as a research fellow in the Distributed Pharmaceutical Analysis Laboratory under Chemistry Professor Anna Wenzel, and additionally as a chemistry peer educator, tutoring fellow students, attending their classes, and holding office hours for drop-in support.
“Tutoring has been one of my favorite things to do. It has been super fulfilling to give back,” he said.
Guiding Kennedy’s efforts as a peer educator is a lesson learned in a non-science course— “Shakespeare and Otherness”—taught by one of his most influential professors, Seth Lobis, CMC Associate Professor of Literature. “Shakespeare wasn’t really my jam, but Professor Lobis made it interesting, and he was so eloquent and precise. He’s an expert but still able to communicate things so clearly in his lectures. I’ve tried to follow that example in my tutoring, because it’s one thing to understand chemistry, but a whole different beast to explain it to people.”
Another testament to his liberal arts learning: Kennedy has sharpened his financial literacy as it relates to the sciences through CMC’s Biotech Club, where he is an analyst for the club’s subsidiary, BioTrade. “We look at biotech and pharma stocks, make pitches, and try to beat the stock market,” he explained.
Underlying Kennedy’s multi-faceted CMC experience is a deep well of gratitude. A recipient of the Tina M. Daniels ’93 Alumni Fund Scholarship, he recently had the opportunity to express his thanks to Daniels, a CMC Trustee who has made significant contributions to scholarships and financial aid at the College, over lunch at ImpactCMC.
“It was absolutely wonderful to meet my scholarship donor and share my appreciation,” Kennedy said. “It felt valuable to meet a notable CMC alum who has had a lot of cool life experiences. It was mind opening, and I had a great experience.”
The president and COO of the media measurement company, Aquila, Daniels studied Government and Economics at CMC, followed by Harvard Business School. A former Google executive, she also previously chaired and now serves ex-officio on the Kravis Leadership Institute Advisory Board.
“I think it is important for everyone who benefited from a CMC education to give back to current students,” Daniels said. “Supporting impressive students like Nick is a terrific investment in cultivating future leaders.”
Displaying his trademark positivity, Kennedy reflected on the scholarship’s impact, today, tomorrow, and for years to come.
“To put it bluntly, I probably would not have been able to come here had I not received it. And then, as a result, receive some of my best friends for life, this education, the opportunities, and so much support both institutionally and from the general community. There’s nothing better I could ask for.”