Staff

Meet Darrell Russell, Director of Financial Aid. Darrell has been with First Institute since 2016 and is very dedicated in his work and in helping students secure the funding so they can pursue their education and career goals/dreams.

Darrell started in higher education 12 years ago, at first working in admissions before transitioning to Financial Aid. Prior to working in higher education, Darrell spent 10 years working for the Baltimore Orioles.

Darrell lives for graduations and student success, saying “I love working at FI because I believe in what we offer. The quality of our programs allows students to gain the knowledge and skills required to achieve their personal goals. There is a great satisfaction in seeing our students accomplish their dreams. Seeing their happiness walking across the stage at graduation is the highlight!”

Meet Tricia Maxim, Director of Career Services. Tricia has been with First Institute over 11+ years and she works relentlessly to help students get started in their new careers. In the last 11 years, Tricia has single-handedly helped close to 1,300 First Institute graduates acquire meaningful, impactful, and life-changing careers after graduation from First Institute.

When you visit First Institute, Tricia is usually right there in the corner office with a big smile, door always open, and is always very welcoming to all who stop by.

Tricia loves helping students reach their full potential. She said, “I love being able to network and build relationships with employers and students and connect them together.” This one of reasons why she does what she does.

Tricia loves working at First Institute because “every employee at First Institute takes great pride in ensuring that the student experience is the best it can possibly be. I am fortunate to be able to assist the students with their job search and career planning and to seem them flourish in their chosen career field.” #therealfirstinstitute #firstinstitutefamily

Meet Nick Eigenschenk, Sr. Admission Advisor here at First Institute for the past 14 years. Nick is passionate about interviewing individuals that are looking for a change or looking to move up in their current practice. The best part of his job is to get to see everyone from the first interview to watching them grow with confidence not only with their skill set but self-confidence as well. Everyone that comes into First Institute is here for a reason and he loves to peel back the layers to find out why.

First Institute is Family; First Institute is a team. There are a lot of schools that are out there and we pride ourselves on playing a role in everyone’s growth while at First Institute. The Beier family which established First Institute in 1982 understands that Family comes first and that is what you will feel when you are here. A couple of fun interesting facts about Nick is that he found out 3 years ago that he was born with only one Kidney. Nick has two boys who are play baseball and football and he loves to coach and watch them play.

Nick’s favorite quote is:

Make today your Day One and not One Day!

Meet Brianna Gonzalez, Admissions Representative at First Institute! Call her Bri when you meet with her. She is friendly, outgoing, positive, and super passionate about helping students be successful.

She loves getting to know people who are motivated to change their life and learning about the obstacles they’ve endured or overcome and why that motivated them to further their education.

Bri, is originally from Milwaukee, WI but comes to First Institute with 3+ years of experience working career college admissions. She appreciates and admires First Institute because of the family oriented team, that are there with students every step of your journey to help grow you, educate you, and progress you into the career and future you want and deserve!

A few fun facts about Bri is that it is Halloween year-round for her, MMA is her favorite sport, she love’s being outside as much as possible, and books are one of the best investments a person can make! Her favorite quotes:

• “It’s not about what happens to you, it’s about how you react to it.”
• “Make a decision today that your future self will thank you for.”