Staff Feature: Nicole Carlos

Nicole Carlos competing in the Hammer Throw event.

About

Name
Nicole Carlos

Role
Finance Manager

Time in Role
6 years (9 years at UBCO)

Hometown
Elstow, Saskatchewan

“We really have tremendous research in our Faculty and to be a small part of that on the finance side of things is really satisfying.”

 

 

Nicole Carlos is Finance Manager for the Faculty of Health and Social Development. In this role, she leads a team of three managing research grants and funding to support the achievement of faculty, student and postdocs’ research goals. Outside of her role, Nicole is passionate about sport. She competes at the Masters level nationally and internationally in the Throws Pentathlon, which includes hammer throw, shot put, discus throw, javelin throw and weight throw.

Last year she set a remarkable four Canadian W50-54 throws records in June of 2024 at the BC Masters Championship in Kelowna, BC. Nicole completed Throws Pentathlon with 3555 points, which ranks her third in the world out of 156 women. Her Weight Throw of 15.44 metres ranks her fifth in the world out of 231 women, while her Hammer Throw of 47.33 metres ranks her 8 out of 443 women!

What do you enjoy most about your role?


NC: Mainly the people that I work with in our faculty—students, staff and faculty are all excellent. It is really interesting working with researchers and to be a small part of their successes.  We really have tremendous research in our Faculty and to be a small part of that on the finance side of things is really satisfying. Also, seeing the kids grow up to receive their master’s or doctorate degrees then become postdocs and then move on to faculty positions either here or elsewhere is another reason to love my job.  It is great to see others achieve their dreams!

 

What are your passions outside of work?


NC: When I was younger I played a lot of sports and excelled at Basketball, Volleyball and Fastball.  When it came to track and field I was extremely slow in the running and jumping events but throwing came natural to me.  When I moved to Kelowna I wanted to meet people so I joined the Okanagan Athletics Club in 2016.  Since then, I have learned to throw hammer and weight throw and have set Canadian records in both of those events as well as the throws pentathlon.

This past summer I competed in the World Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, my first international event. With more than 30 competitors in my age group, I ended up with two 6th place finishes and two 7th place finishes.  The throws pentathlon should have been a gold medal but unfortunately the javelin field judge wasn’t on my side that day so I ended up in eighth place with zero points in javelin.  But now I know I can compete with the best in the world and my next championship will have a different outcome. South Korea in 2026!

Even though throwing is very individual, I enjoy the camaraderie of other women competing at their best level and supporting each other. I also enjoy seeing the younger athletes grow up and excelling at their sport and moving on to university scholarships and national and international competitions. Seeing the joy on their faces excelling at something they love is more than I could ask for. Also, throwing is very technical, so improving every year is sort of like a competition for me, and everyone who knows me, knows I am a very competitive person!

 

What is a healthy habit or philosophy you live by?


NC: I have three strategies I try to stay consistent with. To manage stress, I have made a habit of taking a walk with co-workers every day and taking some time to meditate in the evening prior to going to bed. Second, I exercise. If I don’t move my body on a regular basis, I am not happy. Third, I prioritize sleep. I absolutely need at least 8 hours of sleep every night so a regular bedtime routine and morning routine are essential for me!