Nicolette Cottam: From Ballet to Teaching, Lessons That Last a Lifetime
From the ballet studio to the classroom, Nicolette (AQF ’11) has carried the discipline and artistry of dance into every chapter of her life.
When she received the Anthony Quinn Foundation Scholarship for Performing Arts in 2011, Nicolette Cottam (née Greene) was training in classical ballet under the mentorship of Patricia Dubois at Heritage Ballet in Lincoln, Rhode Island. “Patricia was the teacher who shaped me—not only as a dancer, but as a person. She instilled in me the discipline and artistry of classical ballet, and it was her encouragement that gave me the confidence to apply for the scholarship in the first place.”
The scholarship enabled Nicolette to attend the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts Summer Ballet Intensive, where she was invited to perform at Jacob’s Pillow. The following summer, she trained at the Orlando Ballet Intensive and continued dancing with Heritage Ballet through 2015, performing roles such as Snow Queen and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. “The years of training and mentorship I received shaped not only my technical ability, but also my resilience and creativity—qualities that continue to guide me today.”
Her love for performance later carried her into the Miss America Rhode Island program, where she represented Washington County in 2015 and South County in 2016. She performed ballet variations as her talent and was honored in 2016 with the Community Service Award for her work with Hunger Heroes, an initiative to fight food insecurity in Rhode Island.
Nicolette earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island and a Master’s in Teaching from Relay Graduate School. Today, she is a third-grade teacher in Rhode Island, where she continues to carry forward the lessons of her early ballet training. “The discipline and confidence I gained through ballet continue to guide me in the classroom and beyond.”
Outside of the classroom, Nicolette and her husband, married in 2021, are raising two young sons, born in 2023 and 2025. “Watching them explore and learn every day reminds me of the joy of discovery and the importance of nurturing curiosity—lessons I carry into both my home and classroom.”
Reflecting on her journey, Nicolette shared: “I am deeply grateful to both Patricia Dubois and the Anthony Quinn Foundation. Patricia gave me the training, guidance, and encouragement that shaped who I became as a dancer, while the scholarship opened doors that allowed me to grow and take on new opportunities. Together, they gave me the foundation to carry the discipline of ballet into every chapter of my life—from the stage, to the Miss America program, and now into my classroom as a teacher and mentor for the next generation.”
We celebrate Nicolette’s inspiring journey from ballet to teaching and look forward to the impact she will continue to have on her students and community.