Putting the Pieces Together: Nikki Duvall
Nikki Duvall is a proud graduate of Jefferson Community and Technical College and — as of last month — the University of Louisville, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She’s also mom to two incredible children, and a graduate of Family Scholar House. Nikki recently honored us by speaking at the groundbreaking of the new modular Medical Center Campus in Louisville.
Describing herself as someone whose life has been profoundly changed by Family Scholar House, Nikki noted that breaking ground on the new campus was about more than the construction of a building. “It is,” she said, “about the construction of hope, of opportunity, of new beginnings…about laying the foundation for change for families like mine, who are on the path to rebuilding, growing and thriving.”
Like the campus underway at Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg, the Medical Center Campus will employ modular construction. The apartments will be manufactured in modules by MMY at their leading-edge factory in west Louisville, then transported to the new site and assembled in a campus complex.
As she spoke, Nikki drew comparisons between this modular approach to construction and her own journey, reflecting on the ways Family Scholar House took each aspect of a life that was fragmented and helped her rebuild it into one of strength and stability. “Pieces from my past, my dreams, my struggles, have all been woven together with love, compassion and encouragement.”
When she first learned about Family Scholar House, she was in recovery, ready to create a life of purpose for herself and her children, and to reignite her childhood dream of being a nurse. The key was belief. Because Family Scholar House believed in Nikki and her family, she began to believe in herself again. With that belief and the support she received, she earned her Associate’s degree from JCTC, and that Bachelor’s from U of L.
As she and her family transition out of the Family Scholar House, she is eager to begin her nursing career at a local hospital and begin her journey toward home ownership. She leaves behind her a Family Scholar House community that has been there every step of the way, giving her the chance to focus on what matters most: her children, her education and her family’s future.
“Through their support,” she says, “my family has been able to live in a safe, affordable home, a home where memories have been made, and stability has been found, and this foundation will be our launch to the next chapter.”
In spring of 2026, when the first families move into the new Louisville Medical Center Campus of Family Scholar House they will find a space where, in Nikki’s words, “single parents, future healthcare professionals like myself, can focus on their education and dreams, knowing that their children are growing up in a nurturing environment. Each of the 60 apartments being built represents the chance for another family to rebuild…a promise that there is a place where families can find not only shelter, but a pathway forward filled with resources, support and opportunities.” We couldn’t have said it better.