Before choosing Simpson College, senior Mackenzie Stump asked herself, “If I knew soccer was ever taken away, would I like the school for what it really was?”

The decision is one she doesn’t regret.

One of Stump’s favorite college memories is hanging out with her soccer teammates at the annual Stand Around event.

“We just get like our whole team together, and we just go and just have a ball,” Stump said. “That’s probably the most fun I have on campus.”

The midfielder is a three-year letter winner and was named to All-IIAC (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) first team for the last two seasons. Stump is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which works to find fundraising ideas to help the athletic department and organizations outside of Simpson. SAAC also holds an annual Student-Athlete Recognition Awards Banquet to celebrate the successes of Simpson athletes.

As a team captain, Stump has learned to deal with adversity, but the team always seems to overcome challenges.

“One year we’ll do really poorly in a game, and the next year we just completely turn it around and we win it,” Stump said. “That’s just, like, awesome to me that we can be the underdogs and somehow find a way.”

When Stump isn’t on the field, she’s working hard to earn a bachelor’s degree in forensic science and biochemistry. After working as a summer intern for the State Hygienic Laboratory in Ankeny, Stump hopes to return as a spring intern and potentially earn a job there.

Her dream job, however, is to work at Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation in the Criminalistics Laboratory. With Iowa not being a huge crime state, Stump realizes she’ll potentially be living in a bigger area.

“I’m totally open to living in a city,” she said. “I’d like to see that environment.”

Stump wishes she were involved in more clubs and organizations, and her advice to underclassmen is to get involved in several different activities.

“Do intramurals, do all the organizations and groups that we have here, go to Light Company and just get out there and meet people,” Stump said. “Like, if there’s an event that’s going on and obviously not a lot of people are there, go there anyways because that’s the most fun that I’ve had.”

Stump went from not knowing a single person at Simpson to meeting the most amazing people and making her lifelong friends.

“I guess it’s been a life lesson coming here,” she said. “I’ve developed a lot of qualities and things that are going to help me lifelong with getting a career and just dealing with whatever comes up in life.”