Posted by By: Jeana Quinlan
The new Assistant Director for First Year Residents, Marcus Powell, says he came to Coe for a new kind of campus experience and looks forward to getting to know more students.
“I am happy to get to know the campus and what they offer. The experience that I plan to have here is rooted in me being able to get to know people and step out of my comfort zone.”
Powell grew up in the Southside of Chicago, later attending Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville for his undergraduate degree in Psychology and the University of Iowa for his Master’s degree in Higher Education Student Affairs.
Powell looks forward to getting to know Coe and its students.
Powell said that he wanted to spend time in a different educational environment after spending the last 4 and a half years at the University of Iowa.
“I wanted to have a better sense for what the student experience is like for those from different institutional backgrounds,” said Powell. “Coming to Coe was an opportunity for me to see new students in a system that I am not completely aware of,”
“I needed to step away from the familiarity of the University of Iowa— hearing of this opportunity was the perfect timing.”
In the future, Powell would like to return to school for another degree in counseling, with the goal of one day serving as a campus counselor.
Powell said he hopes he can advocate for students and get to know the campus community better.
“As people see me, I hope they are willing to engage in some conversation,” said Powell.
“Creating relationships is going to be very important to me as I become a member of the community,” said Powell, “there is an opportunity to be understood and to understand the people in the space.”
In his free time, Powell loves cooking, baking, and writing. His favorite music artists are Rihanna and Frank Ocean, and his favorite TV shows watch are Girlfriends and Veronica Mars.