Failed Experiments
The Nikolas Romano Halloween Adventure Scholarship Fund
The Nikolas Romano Halloween Adventure Scholarship Fund
“Failed Experiments creates opportunities for students to develop and experience education in a way that embodies the legacy of Nik Romano; a dreamer, maker, and doer whose love of ingenuity and creation is reflected in his love of all things Halloween.”
Rick and Julianne Romano
Founders of Failed Experiments: The Nikolas Romano Halloween Adventure Scholarship Fund
“When I first visited with Nik’s parents, Rick and Julianne, it was born out of tragedy for them and their family. As I got to know Nik through them, I saw someone who truly embodied the roadrunner spirit and had a desire to help other people in any way possible. To preserve Nik’s legacy at UTSA the Romano family along with their friends have started The Nikolas Andreas Romano Legacy Endowed Scholarship, which will go directly to support students and offer the helping hand that Nik was known for. This endowment at UTSA will award sizable scholarships to multiple UTSA students majoring in Construction Science and Management each year, and as a result Nik’s legacy will live on through them and their successes.”
Taylor Phelps
Chief Development Officer UTSA
Our Mission:
We have always believed in opportunities afforded by higher education and have always been generous with our time and money.
Having started with the UTSA fund, we have now begun a Fund to support students within the Alamo Colleges system as well.
Hear from some of the students that this Fund has impacted.
Our Story
Our family of three has always had a love for Halloween and the fun and laughter that comes with it.
As a family, we had created an elaborate Halloween event for our community that was fun for all as our contribution to the community. The three of us designed, built, performed, and did whatever else was necessary for a successful event as it grew each and every year.
On September 21, 2023, our world came crashing down on us. Our son, Nikolas, was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident at the age 24.
Our first thought was to cancel all Halloween activities for evermore.
However, the community that we gave to came together and gave back to us. They supported us through the very difficult first Halloween by giving their time and effort to get everything set up, operating, and finally taken down and put away.
During this time, in an effort to channel our grief and anguish, we set up a scholarship at UTSA in Nik’s name. After Halloween, we made the decision to keep growing our Halloween as a tribute to Nik and to use the platform to continue to raise funds for what has now become a fully endowed scholarship.
Nik, we will forever love you to the moon and back.
“No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested, until their name is spoken for the last time. The span of someone’s life is only the core of their actual existence.”
