Meet Moe Newsome. She’s a kind-hearted and caring person with a love for people. She also loves Harry Styles, so naturally has a great taste in music! I sat down with Moe to talk about what it’s like to be a director of the on-campus college women’s ministry Delight, and how she keeps up with all that she has to do. If you are struggling with getting involved or balancing life, keep reading and see what our girl Moe has to say!
Her Campus (HC): Tell me about your journey so far, what it looked like growing up, and how you got to FSU.
Moe Newsome (MN): I am a junior here at FSU, and I’m studying family and child sciences. I plan on graduating next year but might have a couple extra semesters because I’m just taking my time. I was born and raised here in Tallahassee. Growing up in Tallahassee, FSU is obviously a huge deal! I have five siblings and two of my older sisters went to Florida State and so did my mom, so I have a bunch of family that went there. When it came time to pick a college, I couldn’t really decide between any of the Florida schools. I didn’t really want to stay in my hometown, but when I toured FSU, I completely fell in love with it! I ended up touring a bunch of different places, but none of them really felt like home the way that FSU did.
HC: What is your story when it comes to joining Delight?
MN: I joined Delight when I started my freshman year of college. I lived in a dorm and so I was doing student housing, and it can be overwhelming moving on to campus because FSU is so big. It feels like you don’t know where to start because there are so many opportunities to get involved. I went to a Delight meeting a couple of weeks after moving in because I really wanted to meet some new people. The dorms can get lonely, and It can be kind of a scary time too moving out for the first time, so I just wanted a better sense of community. I heard about Delight from a friend at another school, and I found out that we had one at FSU. When I went I remember being so terrified. I was nervous about going by myself and meeting new people. I went to the meeting and everyone was so nice and so welcoming, so I just kept coming back. It became my favorite time of the week, and for two years I went to as many meetings as I could and got super involved. I fell in love with the people and the organization itself.
HC: What is some advice you would give to someone looking for a way to be active in a club?
MN: I would definitely recommend trying as many things as you can even though it can be scary and overwhelming. There were a few organizations I tried and I didn’t click with them, and those led me to Delight. So if I didn’t try all of those other clubs, I wouldn’t have found Delight. So I would just try anything that sparks your interest at all so that it helps narrow down the field. Also, going to just one meeting or trying something does not mean you have to dedicate all of your time to that club right away! For instance, if someone were to try a Delight meeting but didn’t click with it, I wouldn’t be offended at all because at least they tried it. People’s schedules are so crazy, and that’s something leaders, presidents and coordinators need to realize is that you could be the best organization out there and promoting all you can and some people are still not going to click, or they are just too busy.
HC: How do you balance your faith, schoolwork, job and family life?
MN: I make sure that no matter how I spend my time, it’s doing something that I think is worthwhile or that I love. I obviously don’t love doing school but its important to me because I want a degree and I want to pick my own future, which lends to the job I’m working right now. I work at an after-school program, and it was important to me to a job where I work with kids because that what I want to do as a career. So if you’re doing something you love, it’s a lot easier to do that job every day. The same thing goes for my family. I love seeing them. Especially my nephew, he is my entire world right now! It comes down to setting time aside for each thing. The calendar app in my phone is my lifesaver because I can take it wherever I go. I’ll even write in a time slot to clean my room so that I make sure I do it and not miss anything else! When it comes to faith, Delight is one of the things that helps me grow and serves as a motivator to have a strong relationship, so I can be a stronger leader for Delight. A lot of times, it looks like waking up earlier in the morning so that I can spend time with God.
HC: What are some things you would say to someone considering a leadership position or role in a club?
MN: It’s a big commitment being on a leadership team. I knew that when I took on the director’s position at Delight, but it’s really hit me just how much time it takes to lead a club. So make sure you’re going to be committed to whatever organization you’re in and that you’re able to give people in the club the time that they deserve. Keep balancing your schedule so that you can show up to all of the meetings on time. Also, try as hard as you can to not be nervous, because leading can be so fun and a great growing experience. So if you’re taking on a leadership role, don’t doubt yourself! If you put your mind to it even though it’s going to be a lot of work and it will be hard, and there will be times that you mess up. There will be times where things won’t work out. Just shake it off, bounce back and keep moving forward!
If you want to see Moe walking through her journey, follow her at @moenewsome on Instagram!
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