A COUNTRY-SINGING LITIGATOR

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November 24, 2023

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame Prep, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Alum attorney takes skills and lessons learned at Notre Dame Prep through the University of Michigan, law school and a career. She just added published singer-songwriter to her répertoire.

Notre Dame Prep alum Nicole Hogan is a very busy practicing attorney in Fort Worth, Texas. She specializes in litigation in the areas of medical malpractice defense with several major hospital systems on her client list. She's enjoyed a spectacular academic and job career since graduating from NDP in 2011, but really just wants everybody to know she's just released her debut album as a country singer-songwriter.

It's called Home Again, a wonderful collection of songs that began to take shape shortly after Hogan arrived in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan.

"I started writing songs in 2012 when I was a sophomore in college and kept writing for many years after that," she said. "During the height of COVID, I was writing even more and began to put words to music with a piano. I wrote the song Home Again in 2021, which changed a pattern from just keeping lyrics as notes in my phone to wanting to share what I've been writing."

And what initially was supposed to be only one song turned into an EP and that ended up being a full album of country-influenced music. 

"I have been focusing on country music because that's the music that I have always felt the most passionate about," she said. "But there are some elements of pop within the more upbeat tracks, but country is definitely my focus."

Focus also is a word that might help describe Hogan's journey through Notre Dame Prep, the University of Michigan and law school at Pepperdine University.

The IB and law school

During her time at NDP (her brother, Daniel, graduated NDP in 2014), she was a varsity athlete in swimming, diving, cheerleading and track and field. During her senior year, she served as captain of the swimming and diving team as well as the cheerleading team. She also enrolled in the IB Diploma Program and earned the prestigious International Baccalaureate diploma. 

Following graduation from NDP, Hogan attended the University of Michigan and was a member and served as president of the Michigan all-girl competitive cheerleading team, a registered student organization at the university that participates in the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) with competitions held throughout the Midwest. 

Hogan graduated from Michigan in 2015 as a James B. Angell Scholar with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. After Michigan, she headed to Malibu, Calif., to attend Pepperdine University School of Law, where she served as a member and co-chair of the Interschool Moot Court Team and the editor-in-chief of the Dispute Resolution Law Journal. She also became a Pepperdine student ambassador, a Pepperdine student mentor, a member of the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, and a member of the Christian Legal Society. She also was a recipient of the Straus Certificate in Dispute Resolution and a winner of the London Inner Temple International Moot Court Competition.

In addition, at Pepperdine, Hogan earned the CALI Award for the highest grade in antitrust law and participated in the school's London Program before graduating cum laude in 2018. Since becoming licensed to practice law in the state of Texas, Hogan's been an associate at Blaies & Hightower, LLP, in Fort Worth.

A strong, faith-based community

Crazy busy as an attorney and now a published singer-songwriter, Hogan nonetheless had time to talk about what attending Notre Dame Prep was like for her.

"Even though I graduated 12 years ago, I still feel very blessed to have attended NDP because the school impacted my life in such a positive way," she said. "Some of my best friends today are friends I made while I was a student at NDP, and I am so fortunate to have these incredible people in my life."

She says that NDP prepared her well for the next levels in her education, and that when she got to Michigan and then Pepperdine, she utilized those skills and habits learned at her Catholic, Marist high school in many different ways to help her to thrive and succeed in those hyper-competitive academic institutions. 

"In fact, I chose to attend Pepperdine's law school because I wanted to go to another faith-based school where I knew I would have a strong community similar to NDP. Having said that, I must also say I am so grateful for the many teachers and coaches at NDP and especially grateful for Mrs. (Jocelynn) Yaroch, who served as one of my mentors and supporters during my two years in IB Biology and beyond."

Links to Hogan's debut album release are below:

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1709306053?ls=1&app=itunes

Apple Music: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1709306053

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7fZZDZ1icq3ZXThUCZCxCI?si=7eafd3546f8749ef
 

 

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame Prep, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School 
Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.