From Drums to Leadership: Isaac’s Path to Success at Tulane and Beyond

Isaac thought he was a good drummer. That’s what he’d been told all his life, playing at church events in Prince George’s County, Maryland. But when he auditioned for the Black American Music Program at Tulane University, he realized he had a lot to learn.

“The professor saw that I had talent, but he also saw how much I did not know. I never officially learned how to read music. I never practiced or had lessons or anything like that. Once I got to New Orleans, I was practically forced to take music extremely seriously because of where I was and where I wanted to be as a drummer.”

Isaac spent his first year at Tulane, a College Track partner school, immersed in music. In the spring, he successfully tried out for a well-known summer workshop at New Orleans’ Second Line Arts Collective. To finance his participation, Isaac applied for a grant from Tulane’s Office of Academic Enrichment, a resource he’d learned about from his College Track advisor.

“They were very effective in communicating resources on campus that we may not have been aware of, which has definitely worked in my favor,” says Isaac. He has appreciated having regular one on one meetings with his advisor, as well as group meetings with his College Track Tulane cohort. “It’s a way of building community,” says Isaac. “Having that meeting with them every week, and keeping us accountable, and just being more responsible as a Tulane student.”

Now a sophomore, Isaac is minoring in music and majoring in public health. He thinks he’d like to be a hospital administrator, like a man he met through a Tulane networking event. “I want to be on the side where people make decisions, check in with different departments, see how they’re doing, look at all the data and all the numbers and see what we could do to be more efficient,” says Isaac. He is brimming with enthusiasm about the future, both short and long-term. He is excited about becoming a better musician. He is excited about tutoring at College Track New Orleans. He is excited about potentially becoming a resident advisor. He is excited about studying abroad next year. Above all, he is excited about one day buying a house, having a family, and being in a position to support his community back in Prince George’s County.

“A lot of people who are from where I’m from don’t think college is realistic,” says Isaac. I want to change that. If they see more people where they’re from going to college, I feel like that can inspire people to be different and not have to be a product of their environment.”