Helen Nickolson was born in Kato Kourouni, a small village in Evia, Greece, which had neither water nor electricity at that time. Sponsored by her aunt and uncle to emigrate to the United States when she was five, she journeyed across the rough Atlantic Ocean in December on an Italian ship. From New York, she then travelled by bus to Lodi, California and arrived on Christmas Eve. Her name in Greek is Eleni Nikolaou and was changed by her uncle to “better assimilate” into American society. He meant well. After high school, Helen attended the University of California at Davis where she majored in English. She went on to graduate school at California State University, Sacramento and received her MS in Counseling Psychology and MA in English. Helen worked as a counselor and also taught English and Psychology at Yuba Community College for 30 years before retiring. She has been married for 35 years to Larry Michel, and Katherine is their only child.
