When Alicia Newell was a senior at Maize High School, she overheard her peers enthusiastically discussing their upcoming college visits, scheduled by the school’s advising office. When Newell’s invitation didn’t arrive, she reached out to her school counselor, who told her that “college isn’t for people like you.” Instead, her counselor suggested Newell should be a cosmetologist or learn “some secretarial skills.”
Newell turned to her grandmother for support, a “little itty bitty Mexican woman” but also “a giant,” who told her: “You find out a way to get your name on the list.”
The next day, she snuck into her counselor’s office and jotted her name down for a visit from university recruiters. A few weeks later, Newell was called out of class.
“I remember freaking out, thinking I was in trouble,” Newell said. “I turned the corner. I see this … Wichita State tablecloth. And then I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.”
A bachelor’s, master’s and soon-to-be doctorate degree later, Newell can be found in her own advising office, helping students at Wichita State open doors to success through support and advocacy, as well as what she likes to call “tough love, but love is always underlined.”
Newell is the assistant vice president for student services, which means she specializes in “understanding students.”
“This is where, like, I learned the importance of meeting students where they’re at and helping to get them to where they need to be,” Newell said.
Newell spends most of her days connecting with and advocating for students, especially those seeking guidance and mentorship like she was all those years ago.
“She genuinely cares about students. She’s a fighter for students,” Vice President for Student Affairs Teri Hall said. “She’s about helping you figure out what you need to get to the finish line and supporting you along the way.”
Newell initially wanted to become a lawyer, but after several internships, she realized that practicing law conflicted with her values. A single mother, Newell said, “family is the number one thing and that she wasn’t willing to compromise family “for that paycheck.”
After a serious conversation with her Greek adviser and mentor, Newell was encouraged to pursue a career in higher education.
She started as a student assistant before accepting a position in admissions as a receptionist.
“And I loved it,” Newell said. “I was, like, the face when prospective students walked in with their families.”
She then transitioned to recruiting for the university. The first school she was sent to recruit at was her own alma mater — Maize High School.
“And when I walked in as the college representative to meet the counselors to let them know that I was there — my counselor (looked as though she) could have just seen a ghost,” Newell said. “It was the best satisfaction I received of like, ‘I did this.’”
Newell then made it her goal to reach out to students often ignored to let them know college is an option.
Her desire to reach “students like me” led to a professional relationship with John Bello-Ogunu, the former associate dean of students and director of multicultural affairs.
Newell worked her way up from the coordinator of the Office of Multicultural Affairs to the director. Encouraged by Bello-Ogunu, Newell then applied to schools for a master’s degree in higher education.
“I never in a million years would have thought that I would have ever sought a master’s degree,” Newell said.
When she was accepted into Arkansas Tech University for her master’s, she made a copy of her acceptance letter and sent it to her counselor. When she graduated, she sent a copy of her diploma, too.
“I never heard back from her, but I know she’s gotten it,” Newell said.
Newell was working in the College of Engineering student success center at WSU when Teri Hall applied to be the vice president for student affairs in 2017.
“I thought she was a phenomenal candidate,” Newell said. “I said (to her), ‘If you have any positions open, think of me because I would love to work for this woman.’”
Hall said the feeling was mutual.
“I remember just feeling connected to her and thinking, ‘Wow, what an amazing student affairs professional she was,’” Hall said. “I’ve never really met anybody that cares as much about students as she does.”
Hall created Newell’s current position: assistant vice president for student services. Hall said she saw the joy and pride Newell took from her role and challenged her to apply for a doctoral degree.
Newell is on track to graduate with an Ed.D. in educational leadership next year.
“I have one more degree to send (my high school counselor),” Newell said with a laugh.
But Newell isn’t in any hurry to finish her latest degree; she knows that she’s already found her career calling.
“I wouldn’t trade what I do for anything,” Newell said. “Like, I love it. So freaking much.”
Her several years as assistant vice president for student services have earned her many nicknames including “Soccer Mama,” “Mama Bear,” and “Mexican Mama.”
“I answer to ‘Mom’ all the time,” Newell said. “Those are my babies, too.”
She’s also accumulated a collection of mementos from students she’s worked with. When Newell has a tough day, she opens a box on the shelf of her office overflowing with cards, letters and gifts.
“Being able to open up that box and pick out a note from a week or two ago to a year or five years ago and just … (remember) this is why I’m here,” Newell said. “There’s no amount of money that I can be paid that’s going to give me that level of satisfaction of knowing the impact that you have on students.”
Newell said that — some day — if she ever opens that box and “can’t answer my ‘Why?’” she’ll know it’s time to leave.
“But that’s not going to be any time soon,” Newell said.
