Zooming In

A Harvard College senior hopes to combine his passions for storytelling and missions to create a vibrant cinematic platform with wide crossover appeal.


Nick Carey, ’19, who serves as a student leader of Harvard College Faith and Action (a student organization resourced by Christian Union), plans to use his drive and talents to pursue a career in the film industry. “If you tell stories effectively enough, movies can reach a lot of people,” he said. “It can be a very powerful missionary tool.”

Carey seeks to work as a creative executive or producer in film or television development and carve a niche within faith-based entertainment.

During the summer, Carey interned with Rideback, a film and television production company based at Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. In January 2018, he participated in Harvardwood 101, a career exploration program in Southern California for Harvard undergraduates.

Much of Carey’s desire to labor in the entertainment industry is rooted in his longtime love of missions. The film studies concentrator in Harvard’s Visual and Environmental Studies department also is pursuing a secondary focus on religion.

Upon arriving at Harvard, the Pittsburgh native was pleased to discover mentors and a dynamic faith community via Harvard College Faith and Action. “I was drawn to the people there,” said Carey. “HCFA has provided me with a foundation and connections from which I can pursue my vocational endeavors in faith-based filmmaking.”

While at Harvard, Carey has taken part in two missionary efforts, including a trip over spring break with Christian Union to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. There, the multitalented student-athlete helped with repairs and chores.

Christian Union Ministry Fellow Fady Ghobrial expressed gratitude to Carey for demonstrating tangible leadership during the ministry’s journey to Puerto Rico. “He was helpful and insightful in decision making during the trip and in taking responsibility for driving our big, 17-passenger van during long rides to the elementary school we were renovating,” Ghobrial said.

Such efforts are not surprising considering Carey’s passion for missionary service, a reflection of his decision to embrace Christ as his personal savior during his youth.

{tweetme}“Eventually, I realized I had to answer the big questions,” he said. “It became more and more clear that Christianity held the answers.”{/tweetme}

During middle and high school, Carey participated in six missionary treks across the country with North Park Church of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

He also has volunteered with Meals on Wheels and participated in walks for multiple sclerosis, a disease his mother has battled since his childhood.

Additionally, Carey assisted with North Park Church’s ministry for college students and mentored the high school youth group during trips back home to Pittsburgh.

In a monumental decision, Carey left Pennsylvania’s Shayer Area High School—where he played football, wrestled, and ran track—to complete his high school degree in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) after being offered a two-year scholarship to study at Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (a high school program).

Carey’s venture paid off better than expected. The adventurous youth only applied to one college, and Harvard offered an early acceptance. In fall 2015, he matriculated into Harvard after a break from high-school studies.

“It was a very competitive program,” said Carey of his educational stint at Waterford Kamhlaba United World College from January 2013 to November 2014. “It was the experience of a lifetime. This was a great opportunity to do some traveling and see the world in a different way.”

Among his service efforts in Africa, Carey assisted in the development of a peer-counseling program for orphans. The former high school football player also developed a passion for rugby. Carey, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 225 pounds, serves as president of the Harvard Rugby Football Club.

In June, Carey won Penn Mutual’s Life of Significance Award during the Collegiate Rugby Championships. Harvard rugby coach Michael Diamantopoulos readily described Carey as a young man who is devoted to a life of service and leadership. “His dedication to being a team member while also helping others is what the sport of rugby is all about,” Diamantopoulos told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Regardless of whether his career trajectory and missionary pursuits take him to Hollywood or Africa, Carey simply wants to follow his life’s passion of spreading the Gospel message.

“I want to be able to fulfill that desire through storytelling,” he said.