Veroniki Nikolaki ’16
Year: Class of 2025
Team: Women's Swimming and Diving
A double-threat on the diving board and in the classroom, Veroniki Nikolaki’s achievements and leadership are among the best to ever compete for WPI.
At the time of her graduation in 2016, Nikolaki held all four school records in diving. She earned All-NEWMAC medals in six different competitions, including finishing as the conference runner-up in 2015 on the 1-Meter board.
Nikolaki qualified for the NCAA championship meet on four occasions and twice finished her season as an All-American.
“Veroniki was a fierce competitor who cared more about the team’s performance and helping her teammates to a victory than her own achievement,” said head coach Paul Bennett of his two-year team captain. “In her first dual meet, she met the NCAA qualifying scores on 1-Meter diving board, but her statement to me was ‘That’s nice coach, but did we win the meet?'”
Nikolaki was just as ferocious in the classroom as well. She continually earned recognition on the dean’s list and maintained a 4.0 GPA for her time at WPI. She was a four-time CSCAA Scholar All-America honoree and qualified for the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference team in each of her eligible seasons.
“It was an honor working with Veroniki,” declared former longtime WPI Diving coach Laura Barbieri. “She brought WPI diving to a new level and was a great competitor and teammate. I can’t think of another diver who deserves this honor more.”
While on campus, she was an active member of the Hellenic Student Association, helping to connect Greek students and preserve Greek culture within the WPI community.
A native of Athens, Greece, she graduated from WPI with high distinction with a bachelor’s of science in Biology and Biotechnology and a minor in Spanish. She traveled to Costa Rica to complete her IQP, working with El Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería to investigate the effects of chemical pesticides on fruits and vegetables, while developing organic alternatives for pest control.
Following her time at WPI, she earned a master’s degree in Biotechnology with a focus in Neuroscience from Columbia University. She then joined Harvard Medical School as a research associate, where she spent three years studying neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease.
Currently, she is pursuing her PhD at UMass Chan Medical School, researching the molecular mechanisms behind Frontotemporal Dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—continuing to follow her passion for brain research.
She lives in Natick with her sister, Valeria, and cat, Spooky, and enjoys painting, writing poetry, and reading fantasy novels in her free time. She also enjoys doing ballet, yoga and pilates.
