When 2009 graduate Michael Roy’s position at his employer became endangered, Roy took the initiative and applied for one of the unique possibilities Simpson College offers to its graduates. The result? A year’s worth of free tuition and a chance to further his education.

The Alumni Career Enhancement Grant (ACE) was created by Simpson College to give Simpson alumni the chance to go back to school and gain further knowledge and training in an economy where jobs are scarce and job security is a thing of the past.

“Since I wasn’t exactly fulfilled working there, I decided to quit and come back for a semester to upgrade my accounting minor to a major and to attain the necessary 150 credit hours to take the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam,” Roy said.

Now that Roy is back at school he is working hard to obtain his accounting major to go along with his Economics and Finance majors. However, this is nothing new for Roy, who has been said to be an extremely hard worker throughout his years at Simpson. Roy’s advisor, Professor of Religion Dr. Mark Gammon, commented on Roy’s ability to write, reflect, and remain level-headed.

“He’s a very good student, which is nice, but more importantly I’ve come to respect him as a gentleman, which is all too rare in this day and age,” Gammon said. “He’s the type of student who makes it easy for a professor to come to work each day.”

Not only does Roy have a positive effect on his professors, but his friends and family had nothing but enthusiastic remarks to make about him.

“I was stoked!” senior Blake Shultice said. “I missed Michael after he graduated, so I was excited to hear that I would be seeing him on campus again.”

Senior Lara Roy and sophomore Austin Roy, sister and brother to Roy, were also excited at Roy’s choice to return to Simpson, saying that it was nice to have their family so close together.

In regards to students at Simpson working towards their goal of graduating, Roy has a key piece of advice.

“If you ever find yourself wondering if you should give a little more or do a little extra…you probably should do it,” Roy said. “Get out of your comfort zone. It certainly can’t hurt.”