Isaac Moore Jr is a man of many faces, each of them more kind and generous than the next. He is a coach and a mentor. A speaker and an author. Above all, he is a friend to the youth that needs him most.
Law Enforcement has been the career path of choice in Isaac’s family for a long time and at first, he wanted to follow in those footsteps. He attended Indiana Wesleyan University’s online program for Criminal Justice, but his classes and his personal experience were guiding him elsewhere.
“I realized,” Isaac said, “I wanted to help people stay away from the system. If I could help them avoid it before they are in it, by giving them better lives, then that is my goal. Education is calling my name.”
Isaac is set to make a switch to Indiana University South Bend in the Fall Semester of 2015, to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Education. The young man already has experience working with children, and in the school system itself.
His first position with the Michigan City Area Schools was a volunteer for the Hours For Hours mentoring program. Isaac heard about the program through a friend and felt it was a way he could help struggling children in his community. Each mentor is assigned a student to talk to during lunch period. For 30 minutes they share a meal, play games, and chat about their lives, without realizing they are both learning something. Isaac is a popular mentor: by the time he had to leave the program, he had 20 students adopt him as their role model.
“I loved it,” said Isaac. “I worked with kids before so I didn’t think that would be an issue. But I also didn’t think I’d love it as much as I did. The imagination they have, I kind of share that. Each day was like a new experience, a new kid every day. They are in a constant state of wonder.”
Isaac left the program for a job at Marsh Elementary School. He works there now as a paraprofessional, helping students learn lessons at a more personal speed than their peers. If a child is struggling in a particular subject, they go to Isaac instead of their regular class.
He also coaches at the school. It is something he has always been interested in doing because he feels he can learn more as a coach than a player. “The more I learn, the better a person I can become.”
In his spare time, Isaac is always learning. He is always studying the world around him and looking for his next opportunity to help someone out or advance his own life. Isaac gives speeches to students at the schools and at the library. He has even written a book filled with tips and life experiences, to pass on what he has learned to those around him.
“We live in a “you should know” era,” said Isaac. “When you go into an interview, people think you should already know what you are doing and how you should act, because of all the resources we have. This book offers reassurance.”
The book, Nine 2 Five, is sold on Amazon. It tells Isaac’s story, which he describes as simple: “Be the example you look for in others.”
Isaac gets his example from his father, who worked hard to raise three fine boys into even better men. He was born and raised in Michigan City, and even though he admits that future goals may take him away from home, he would not trade his time here for the world.
“I like the fact that there is opportunity here,” he said. “But you have to be willing to get up and go for it.”
For now, Isaac will be in the neighborhood, inspiring everyone he can. He is starting a mobile car washing business to help pay for his schooling and plans to build a family here. At 21, he has already accomplished so much: “When I think about it, I start thinking about what more I can accomplish.”