INDIANOLA, Iowa — Senior Ishaya David was recognized by the George Washington Carver Birthplace Association on Sept. 20 and was given the Spirit of Innovation and Service Award in St. Louis, another example of what Simpson success looks like.

Receiving the award inspired and encouraged David to continue reaching for his goals.

“It’s one incentive and a motivation for me to keep on working harder and keep doing what I’ve been doing that got me to where I am right now,” David said. “It’s really exciting.”

David hopes to leave a legacy and continue on a path as successful as Carver’s, a man who overcame many challenges in his life, including racial discrimination.

“(This award) made me look at my life from a different perspective,” David said. “I didn’t have problems as a result of my race, but I also had to move from Nigeria to the (United) States, and Simpson helped me with that.”

Apart from receiving a prestigious award, David is also making a difference by being involved in other clubs and organizations and staying engaged with the Simpson community.

He is a member of Rotaract Club, International Student Organization and serves as senior class president. David has been involved with the Student Government Association since the end of his freshman year and hopes to change the level of diversity on campus.

“What I want to change about Simpson is actually changing already, especially with the incoming class,” he said. “I’m really glad to see that this school is going out of their way to increase diversity on campus.”

David has enjoyed his Simpson experience and has made some of the best memories here, even under the worst circumstances.

“It was when I lost my brother, and everyone was there for me,” David said. “My friends raised money to pay for my flight to get back home. It was an unfortunate event, but also a good thing came out of it.”

David is earning a major in biochemistry and is applying for medical and pharmacy schools. He is thankful for the Simpson experience and is looking forward to spending most of his life doing research.

“A few days ago, I was looking at pictures of myself from freshman year, and I really look different,” he said. “It’s been a great experience, and I think I’ve grown as a person to be more independent because I am living far away from home.”

David offers advice that perhaps all college students should take into consideration.

“Whatever you do in college will determine how the rest of your life is going to be,” he said. “You can either have fun in these four years and then struggle the rest of your life, or you can utilize these four years and have fun the rest of your life.”