Growing up as the son of Taylor University’s former head soccer coach and an Upland native, Noah Ross knew Taylor was his home sooner than most.
From a young age, he fondly remembered members of the men’s soccer team coming to his house for birthday parties, long afternoons supporting the men’s soccer team and Sundays spent attending Upland Community Church services and youth groups.
“I benefited from that as a kid, and then got to be part of it as a student, and now to serve working here,” Ross said. “It’s a pretty cool perspective, I think.”
This lifelong connection to Upland and the Taylor community led him to his current role as deputy chief of staff, or the aide to President Lindsay.
While Noah was completing a Master of Business Administration at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, he received a call from President Michael Lindsay regarding an offer for the role.
“When he reached back out, when I was down at Lee, it was hard to say no to that opportunity,” he said. “My friend encouraged me to pray about it, and within probably four days, the Lord had just kind of made it very clear that this was where he was leading me.”
As an undergraduate, Ross was a politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) major as well as a key member on the Taylor men’s golf team.
His experiences as a student and an athlete prepared him for his journey to Lee University, where he was able to play for the men’s golf team while completing his master’s because he had one year of eligibility from his freshman year which was impacted by the coronavirus.
His plans to complete his master’s at Lee University were radically changed when he received the offer to work with President Lindsay, due to the transformative experience he had with President Lindsay his senior year, but he was still able to complete the remainder of the degree online.
“I had gotten to know President Lindsay,” Ross said. “I took his class, leading for the common good, my senior year. Really enjoyed the class, and ended up working really hard in it, and did fairly well, and sort of got connected to President Lindsay through that. So I took his Bible study the next semester, and we continued to kind of talk and see each other each week.”
Although each day looks a little different, Ross currently supports President Lindsay in whatever communication he needs, coordinating campus guests, traveling to conventions and speaking events and completing lower-level administrative duties.
Ross identified western political thought as being a class that influenced his ability to read, think, speak and write clearly and prepared him well for the demands of his job.
“That was far and away the most difficult course I've ever taken,” he said. “But it really developed me and my thinking and my writing and my processing and reading comprehension better, in a way that was super beneficial.”
Ross is quick to acknowledge how indebted he is to the Taylor community for playing a crucial role in his growth.
In hindsight, he recognizes how the gifts of character refinement, intentional relationships and maturation come from relationships with PAs, DAs, coaches, fellow wing-mates on Second East Wengatz and professors.
“I think a really positive thing about college for a lot of kids, including me, is (that) I came in much more prideful than I came out,” he said. “So I think college really humbled me, just to understand that I don't know everything I have. I actually need to love learning because I thought I knew a lot coming in … Having the support system to build up throughout was super helpful for me, and changing my mindset.”
Ross’ Taylor experience outside of the classroom also prepared him for his role.
He noted the impact of the men’s golf team on his personal and spiritual formation.
“Being a college athlete was probably the most formative of just being at Taylor in terms of what it taught me about work ethic and even just managing responsibilities,” he said. “And then, obviously, some of my teammates are my best friends, and I talk to them to this day, three years later, and they (were) in my wedding. They're fantastic. The relationships you build in those settings are awesome. So I'll be super thankful for those forever.”
