Meet Nicole Lamberson

When I set out to earn my master’s degree from The George Washington University, I had no idea that I would finish the program with a desire to do so much more than being an editor. Don’t get me wrong; I still want to be an editor (anyone hiring?), but I fell in love with all aspects of the publishing process: editorial, business, marketing, and technology. I also had no idea the first group project I was part of would end up being something I would not only return to throughout my courses but something that I would want to see come to fruition in the real world.

The concept to develop a hypothetical cultural travel press was originally mine. At the beginning of that first class, I suggested the idea in our online forum and, before I knew it, there was a group of six young women, including me, with similar interests ready to get started.

Wanderlust has long consumed me. As the word suggests, one of my strongest desires is to travel the world; meet people who are different from me; experience the food, the arts, the sights, and the culture; and grow as a human being—become a thoughtful, educated, more understanding, and more open individual.

I have been lucky to have the opportunity to travel much more and much farther than I ever imagined I would as a little girl. World travel seemed like a foreign concept, something that I wanted but also something I never thought I’d be able to do. Through school—high school and college—and my early career, I’ve had many chances to travel. And while I haven’t been able to travel on my own as much as I would like, I do my best to make the most of every trip I do take. The older I get the more important it becomes for me to take these trips to replenish my mind and spirit.

Like a lot of people, I have my bucket lists. My travel bucket list is neverending but I’m trying my best to tick off some of the big ones—I’m only one away from visiting every continent (Antarctica, I’m eventually coming for you!).

My first opportunity to travel abroad came during my junior year in high school. With my Spanish class, I went on a week-long study trip to Spain. It was exciting and eye-opening, and I couldn’t wait for my next trip which luckily was only a year away. But it was my semester abroad in undergrad that sealed my love for traveling and seeing the world.

I always hoped to study abroad, and I wanted to go somewhere completely different from home. So I decided, with the encouragement of one of my professors, to spend a semester in Hong Kong (thanks, Dr. Reed!). Living somewhere for an extended time truly changed me and the way I look at the world. I fell in love with Hong Kong and everything about that experience, and it only fueled my wanderlust, led me to want to do more and go more places and see as much of the world as I could.

Those are just two destinations of many that have shaped my world. One of the things I’m excited about with Postcard Press is to share those journeys and reflect on how they changed me, how I went from being a tourist to being a traveler, and maybe offer some inspiration for others.  

Outside of travel, many of my interests and pursuits are on the creative side. I love the theater and Broadway musicals; I’ve been acting for much of my life; and I truly enjoy writing, whether it’s with Postcard Press or the novel I return to from time to time. I have always been a creative person, and I think that’s what led me to join the GW publishing program.

My bachelor’s degree is in political science, and the majority of my career, so far, was spent as the Director of Research for Vice President Joe Biden. It was an incredible opportunity (which led lots of travel as well) and though fulfilling, it wasn’t necessarily what I saw myself doing in the long run. I wanted a change, to do something that was more creative, and editorial work in publishing caught my eye.  

 

I never imagined that first project would lead me here. We loved the concept so much that Jax, Sam, and I kept circling back to the idea in different classes, and each time, we mused that it would be fun to make Postcard Press a real thing. Eventually, as the program was coming to an end, we decided to go for it. And here we are.  

I am so excited to be part of developing this press and making it something real. I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences and creating content that our readers will enjoy but also hearing from our audience and learning from others’ experiences. Postcard Press is everything I love—the entire publishing world, travel, culture, educating myself and others. I hope that this becomes a place where our readers can grow into travelers who are respectful, intrigued, understanding, and open so that the travel experience is not only enlightening for the traveler but also for the locals he or she encounters.