John Jacobs completed his duties as the assistant director of Student Involvement on Wednesday, Sept. 7. The beloved staff member announced his departure from Trinity after finalizing the details of an offer from Northeast Lakeview College.

“I was offered the position of director of student activities and development. The campus has about 6,000 students, and their average age is 22, so I’ll be working with traditional students,” Jacobs said.

This position gives him the opportunity to lead and manage a menagerie of responsibilities. Though his time at Trinity provides him with the experience to handle familiar tasks with ease, his next job offers the chance to handle new functions.

“My job will consist of overseeing intramural sports, student activities, student organizations. Every first-year student has to take a one-hour course in time management and study skills;” Jacobs said. “I’ll oversee these classes as well. Their goal is to be at 15,000 students in the next 5-10 years, so I got a lot of work cut out for me.”

Although Jacobs was  a supervisor, students who worked alongside him trusted him as a peer and friend.

“When I was having a mild panic attack about what to do with my life after graduation, he talked to me about it. He was unbelievably helpful and gave me some very positive advice,” said Caitlin Heller, a senior history and political science major and member of Student Involvement.

Jacobs had an observable enthusiasm to generate successful work with each organization he worked with, which made the daily responsibilities for student workers more enjoyable.

“Every interaction with him is a positive one, but my favorite experience with him was when I was interviewing faculty members for my TigerTV segment “Gossip Guru.” He got so into the whole process and made producing this package such a breeze. I asked him to let me know what celebrity couple he wanted to discuss in our interview, and not only did he come back with a preference, but he had such a thoughtful and insightful response. It was hilarious but, more than anything, I was grateful,” said Mackenzie Hill, a junior communication major and member of Student Involvement.

Although Jacobs enjoyed his time working with each club he oversaw, some memories maintained strong impressions on him.

“My favorite times are with the orientation team (O-Team), who I was fortunate enough to be with for three years. Just being around these exciting and crazy students who are much like myself was awesome, like when we did a ropes course this summer. I’ve had great moments with all the organizations I lead though; the most impactful times are ones that include students I can be friends with” Jacobs said.

Jacobs had a special connection with the O-Team that was also cherished by students.

“He was hysterically freaking out about the high ropes course, but mustered the courage to climb up the telephone polls and complete a trust walk. His overwhelming energy always pulled us to his level,” said Shane Bono, a junior finance and business analytics and technology major, who served as a member of O-Team this year.

Faculty members and students celebrated Jacobs and his time at Trinity with a farewell party on Wednesday, where advice was shared for his new job and memories were recalled about the impact he had on the Trinity community.

With additional reporting by Courtney Justus.