Nick Ota-Wang (he, him, his). Last name is pronouned (Oooota Wong). (Click hear to hear my name pronounced.)

Historian | Certified Academic Coach  | Higher Education Professional | Social Justice Advocate, and believer that everyone should be treated equally under the law and by everyone. 

Education/Degrees: 

Ota-Wang earned his Master of Arts (MA) in LGBTIQ, Gender, and Sexuality, and US History, History program from the University of Colorado Denver.  

Ota-Wang earned his Graduate Certificate in US History from the Department of History at the University of Colorado Denver. 

Ota-Wang earned his Master of Arts (MA) in Higher Education with a Concentration in College Student Development from the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver.

Ota-Wang earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA)  in History with Secondary Education Concentration from the College of Liberal Arts and School of Education at Colorado State University. 

Professional Experience: 

Ota-Wang is currently a Senior Student Success Advisor with 2U, inc, working with the online MSW program with the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver.  Ota-Wang's role as Student Success Advisor with 2U has been since 2017. In his role Ota-Wang is a certified coach having received both the Foundational (October 2020) and Advanced (May 2021) Coaching Certifications, in addition the Leave of Absence certification (March 2022) issued through 2U, Inc. In these certifications Ota-Wang went through multiple trainings, peer & manager feedback evaluations, and submitted a pilot project along with another Advisor bringing coaching feedback to his team. 

Ota-Wang served as an Academic Advisor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs prior to his current role with MSW@Denver. He worked with undergraduate students who are studying in the areas of the Social Sciences (Majors in: Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Communications, Women's & Ethnic Studies), and Criminal Justice.

Ota-Wang was the Admission Counselor for the Graduate School of Social Work MSW & PhD Programs at the University of Denver. Additionally, Ota-Wang has worked for several not-for-profits in the Denver area in managerial, customer service, and membership services roles. Ota-Wang has also worked at several institutions of Higher Education around the United States in the offices of Housing, Orientation, Transition programs, Career Services, and Student Life.

Teaching Experience: 

Ota-Wang served as the Teaching Assistant for HIST 3345 (US Immigration History), and HIST 1440 (Controversies in History) in the Department of History at the University of Colorado Denver. 

Research/Historic contributions: 

Ota-Wang's focus in history is the history of gender, sexual identity/orientation especially LGBTIQ History, and Higher Education administrative structures. He is also training in the subfield of genealogy to find additional ways to help others.  Beginning in June 2018, Ota-Wang has also joined the Omohundro Institute at the College of William & Mary as a Graduate Student Associate. In June 2019 and June 2022, Ota-Wang presented on panels about his research at the inaugural Queer History Conference in San Francisco. 

In the local Denver community, Ota-Wang has joined two research History Committees with the Center on Colfax (Colorado's LGBTIQ organization) researching the Transgender individuals in Denver's history on the Matt Kailey Transgender and Gender Diverse History Committee and on the Tea Schook History Committee looking at Women loving Women in Colorado/Denver History. Both committees are chaired by David Duffield, Coordinator for History and the History Project at the Center on Colfax.

Academic Accomplishments: 

His graduate academic accomplishments include: "Localized PostWar Queer Histories: Forging Community Across Urban and Surburban Space,"  (2022),  "Folly, or Felony? Sex between Men and Youths in Australia, Japan, Ireland, and Italy" (2019) panels at the Queer History Conferences in 2022 and 2019 at San Francisco State University. A poster session at the 2015 Multicultural Conference & Summit in Atlanta, GA. Ota-Wang's poster title is: “A University LGBTIQ Q&A Program to Improve the Campus Climate.” Ota-Wang's also published his research on Safe Zone Programming in Multicultural Student Offices in the Spring 2016 GLBT Knowledge Community White Paper through NASPA.

Ota-Wang's graduate leadership experience while at the University of Denver included Ota-Wang serving as a Graduate Program Associate (GAP) with NASPA and as  the Vice President for the College of Education Student Association (COESA).  Ota-Wang is has served as the staff adviser to the Queer Equality Alliance (QEA) in the Graduate School of Social Work, and is also a co-founder of the Queer & Straight Student Alliance (QSSA) in the Morgridge College of Education.

Ota-Wang's undergraduate academic accomplishments include: Senior Honor Society through Mortar Board Honor Society, and Phi Alpha Theta which is the History Honor Society.

Higher Education Leadership: 

Ota-Wang's undergraduate leadership experience has occurred at several institutions. He served as a NUFP (National Undergraduate Fellow Program) Fellow through NASPA, served as a residence hall student government historian and senator, sat on several student committees with the university student government, and helped lead and plan large welcoming events for first year and transfer students, all while attending Colorado State University.

Ota-Wang has also been awarded the Leadership Award (2005) from the Residence Hall Association at the University of Northern Colorado, the Safe Haven Award (2014) from the Center for Multicultural Excellence, LGBTIQ&A Office at the University of Denver and the Staff Achievement Award (2014) from the Graduate School of Social Work's Dean Office at the University of Denver. In April 2016 Ota-Wang was a finalist for the Morris Price Jr. Alumnx Award from the GLBT Resource Center at Colorado State University. 

To learn more about Ota-Wang's current involvements please check out his CV.