With his triple major, countless leadership roles and genuine enthusiasm for everything the College has to offer, junior Isaac Thomas is the quintessential Westminster student, truly embodying the tagline, “Small College. Big Impact.”
Last year, the political science, security studies and history major was the only sophomore worldwide to participate in the prestigious Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress Fellowship (CSPC). The honor involves traveling to Washington, DC, for a conference on leadership and governance. Fellows also meet online, do research and write scholarly essays on federal issues.
Thomas was among approximately 70 juniors, seniors and graduate students from about 40 partner institutions across the globe to take part in the impressive program. Participating institutions are mostly large universities — many of which are in the Ivy League, including Harvard and Yale.
In representing Westminster, which has participated in the program for five years in a row, Thomas was among only a handful of CSPC fellows from small liberal arts colleges.
And he is proof that Westminster students hold their own among academic giants.
In September 2025, Thomas received extraordinary recognition when the research paper he wrote during the fellowship was published in the 2024-2025 Fellows Review — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. This achievement followed news earlier in the summer that his CSPC opinion piece on the unitary executive theory of U.S. constitutional law had also been selected for publication.
“I was really surprised to be published. There were no guarantees that would happen for either piece,” Thomas says, who freely admits he suffers from imposter syndrome. Yet his many accomplishments speak for themselves.
The native of Hot Springs, Arkansas, is completing a three-year streak of serving on Westminster’s Student Government Association, and this year, he just happens to be the junior class president. He also is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, the History Club, the International Club, the Blue Blazers Investment Committee and Student Foundation.
And if that isn’t enough, Thomas casually mentions he works an average of 20 hours per week at Starbucks, commuting about 30 miles from Fulton to both Jefferson City and Columbia.
That detail is just one example of how Thomas stays extremely busy while his mind works overtime, considering issues, weighing the odds and just generally embracing all that life has to offer.
Currently, he is turning over the many options for what promises to be a bright future following his studies at Westminster and with the CSPC.
“I know I want to go to law school, to study a lot more, to communicate and advocate for the law,” Thomas reflects, adding that he also considers serving in a capacity that is “less comfortable,” such as the Peace Corps or even the National Guard.
Yet one thing is certain: Thomas will make a big Westminster impact anywhere he goes.
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
