About Us

The Story Behind Newsom Educational College

Founded on a Vision

Newsom Educational College was founded by Blake Newsom, M.S., with a bold vision: to create a world-class institution where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities could access transformative education in an environment built on dignity, belonging, opportunity, and respect.

That vision was not born from privilege or an easy path through education. It was shaped by adversity.

Born and raised in Tennessee, Blake experienced firsthand what it felt like to be underestimated, excluded, and made to feel as though he did not belong. In high school, he was voted "Most Likely to Be Making a Sandwich," a humiliating title that was published in the school yearbook. What may have been dismissed by others as a joke became another reminder of how easily a student can be labeled, mocked, and underestimated by the people and systems around them.

Instead of allowing those experiences to define his future, Blake used them as motivation.

His journey through higher education was anything but traditional. He worked his way through college, often holding multiple jobs at the same time to pay for his education out of pocket. He worked factory jobs, retail positions, drove for Lyft and Uber, delivered for DoorDash, and took on whatever legitimate work he could find to earn the additional money needed to continue his education.

There were setbacks along the way.

Statistics became one of the most difficult obstacles in his academic journey. Blake failed the course twice before finally passing it on his third attempt. For many students, failing a course can feel like proof that they are not capable of earning a degree. For Blake, it became proof that failure does not have to be the end of the story.

He kept going.

After regaining funding for his bachelor's degree, Blake continued working multiple jobs and saving money for the future. He understood that the life he envisioned would not simply happen on its own. It would require sacrifice, persistence, and years of preparation.

Eventually, that dream became clearer: to build the kind of educational institution he wished had existed for people who were too often overlooked, misunderstood, underestimated, or excluded.

That vision became Newsom Educational College.

Blake's personal journey is central to the philosophy of the College. He understands what it means to walk into an educational environment and wonder whether you belong. He understands what it feels like to struggle academically, to fail, to start again, and to work harder when others have already decided what they believe you are capable of achieving.

Most importantly, he believes education should never be reserved for people who fit neatly into a predetermined mold.

Newsom Educational College was created around the belief that everyone deserves to be welcomed, heard, respected, and given a genuine opportunity to succeed. The College seeks to create an environment where students are not defined by their disabilities, past academic struggles, social challenges, or the expectations others have placed upon them.

Today, Newsom Educational College stands as a testament to Blake's belief that:

"The pain we endure can become the spark that lights the path for others."

That philosophy is woven into the foundation of the College. Newsom Educational College seeks to combine rigorous academics with holistic support that encourages career readiness, social integration, self-advocacy, communication, confidence, and lifelong independence.

Blake's story is not a story about being the person everyone expected him to become. It is a story about becoming the person he refused to stop believing he could be.

The student who was underestimated became the educator. The student who struggled became the founder. The person who was once made to feel like he did not belong built a place where others could finally hear the words he needed to hear himself:

You belong here. You are capable. Your voice matters. And your future is still yours to build.