The Road to Drake

Tisleen Singh, JO'10

Alumna logs thousands of miles for DU

Months away from home. Thousands of miles behind the wheel. Work days lasting 14 hours or more, and dozens of  fast-food meals on the go. It’s all part of the job for Drake University admission counselor Tisleen Singh, whose  passion for her alma mater keeps her smiling during long  days on the road.

Singh, JO’10, is entering her third year as a Drake admission counselor. She spends up to four months a year in the city  of Chicago and its western suburbs, where she introduces Illinois students to Drake.

Visiting nearly 100 high schools and college fairs in a season takes a lot of preparation, to say the least—her new SUV, purchased specifically for the job, is always full of Admission viewbooks, pamphlets, brochures, personal items including a nail file, pens, ChapStick, bottled water, and mouthwash.

“Life on the road is tough,” Singh says. “Your car becomes your world. The personalities on the radio become your friends. But without fail, every day, you meet a student who makes the traffic and terrible drivers worth it. When I can share my story, my experience, and what we have to offer a student—and I see that light in their eyes, that they get it—that is truly a joy.”

When Singh arrived at Drake as a first-year student six  years ago, she was “shocked” by the diversity of ethnicities, opinions, and opportunities that she found on campus. In the classroom she encountered a range of unfamiliar theories  and beliefs, while her cocurricular activities with Alpha Phi, the Student Activities Board, student government, and other organizations challenged her leadership skills and exposed her to a range of career fields.

“Drake changed my life,” Singh says. “Drake allowed me to explore so many areas beyond my major, and I reached a potential that I didn’t even know. Now, when I’m sitting in a campus visit and I hear a current student explaining how amazing Drake is while I sit there in silence, it just makes  me smile. That’s when I love my job most.”

—Aaron W. Jaco, JO’07, AS’07