Despite growing up on Forest Avenue, the first time that Isaac Newsome stepped onto Drake University’s campus was when he took on his role as its student life director. Now, he plans to take his next steps away from Drake at the Iowa Department of Education.
Newsome began his work at Drake four years ago, after graduating from the University of Northern Iowa. He entered the position in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, starting his new job juggling various rules and regulations and then learning to shift with those regulations as the pandemic continued.
In his role as student life director, Newsome managed tasks ranging from managing financial paperwork for student organizations to supporting large-scale events. As student life roles shifted, so did Newsome, taking on further administrative responsibilities.
“You’ve just got to find the balance. If I need time off or away, I’ll take the time away. But those are just some of the things that came with the role or were asked of me to do,” Newsome said. “I’m happy to be a team player and just do what needs to be done.”
Associate Dean of Students Lynne Cornelius supervised Newsome and worked with him frequently.
“He’s been able to build really strong relationships with students and student organizations and just does a lot of work,” Cornelius said. “I’m certain that I will find times that I may not have appreciated him as much as I could have while he was here.”
Newsome said his job often included late nights, coordination and lots of communication with other student life staff members. Newsome described it as a lot of “moving parts” for one person, always needing to make sure everyone was on the same page.
His role also included numerous meetings, both with other staff members and students. Newsome said that his favorite part of the job was witnessing student growth.
“Being here four years, I’ve been able to see people who are freshmen that have worked directly under me, or freshmen that came in and they’re wide-eyed, don’t really know what to get involved in. And then next thing you know, they’re either presidents of organizations or student body president,” Newsome said. “So, it’s just nice to see their development, whether I’ve had a direct correlation to helping them with that or just if I’ve been able to see it from afar.”
In his next role overseeing college readiness program Gear Up at the Iowa Department of Education, Newsome hopes to see a more direct impact on students, including first-generation students and students of color like him.
Newsome said he was most drawn to the thought of “just meeting [students] where they’re at. Letting them see that someone who grew up on the same streets as them has been able to navigate college and life a little bit. Just being able to show them that it is possible even though things may seem tough based on how you grew up or the environment that you’re in.”
Tiffany Hach, coordinator of registered organizations and student services, will leave her current position to take over Newsome’s role after he leaves, beginning on May 1. She had always hoped to step into the role eventually, though this was an accelerated timeline.
To ensure that she is equipped to handle the job, Hach has been attending meetings with Newsome and Cornelius to build necessary relationships. She described her feelings about the role as a “double-edged sword,” as she is excited and terrified for the same reasons.
“I’m looking forward to the new responsibilities and the ways that I can be more active on campus with more students and have a lot more interactions with students that aren’t surface level,” Hach said. “I’m also terrified that I will make a lot more visible mistakes and if I were to make a mistake, it would affect a lot more people.”
Newsome said that, as Hach steps into his role, time management and balance will be key. One big thing he was proud of as student life director was making the position’s responsibilities work for himself.
In order to do this, Newsome leveraged student staff and changed the organization payment system to try to ensure that students weren’t spending personal funds on their organizations.
Relationships have also been key, from student staff to leaders, he said. Newsome also said that as he leaves, he has been able to hear more about his impact on Drake.
“My heart has been full a little bit just hearing people coming to my office and saying, ‘Thank you for what you’ve done for the University,’” Newsome said. “For myself, I feel good about that, that I’ve been able to impact people, even if I don’t think I’ve done [so] myself.”
